The Blood Alchemist
by LeFay Strent
Summary: "A game?" I sputtered. "This isn't a game! These are people's lives you're toying with! My life you're toying with! You can't do that!" "Oh, but I can," came Truth's chilling reply. -When a girl from our world finds a Philosopher's Stone action, drama, lots of humor, and a bit of romance ensue.- EdXOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**The Philosopher's Stone**

I took a step back from the edge. Now that I was actually here, I was beginning to feel scared.

I tried to focus on other things. Like the fact that I was in Ireland! For years, I have yearned to be here and I did it! I traveled across the world to be here. I had made it. However, I could never have guessed how beautiful it was in person.

There was green everywhere! Everything was a vibrant green: the rolling hills, the trees, the people. Okay, maybe not that last part. But still. When you walked around Ireland, you got a sense that time had slowed and you had all the time in the world to take everything in. The warm, windy breezes. The smell! Oh, the smell! I have never breathed such clean air.

I had come here as a tourist and only had a week to be here, but I was loving every minute. We've been visiting all the sights (my mom, sister, and I) with our tour group. And now we were at the place that I've dreamed of coming my whole life.

I was standing on the cliff. You know. The one where you lean over the edge and kiss the rock. It was suppose to bring you good luck. But I was getting cold feet.

I shook myself, _What are you doing? You've been waiting your entire life to do this. People do this all the time. You can do this, Taylor._ My body didn't believe my mind. The adrenaline was pulsing through my veins and my heart was pounding with fear.

_If I don't do this, I'll never forgive myself, _I thought. And that was all it took. I pushed the fear aside, took those last steps, and bent over the edge of the cliff.

"Whoa." I breathed. I was staring down the steep line of the cliff. It ended at what seemed like miles down, going into the churning ocean. It would be a very long fall.

"Stop it." I chided myself. "All you're doing is psyching yourself out. Get a grip."

I leaned over more, trying to ignore the vast distance between me and the ocean. When I was pretty sure I could hold my weight, I went for it. The rock was cold and hard to my lips.

Triumph coursed through me. _I did it! I finally did it!_ No sooner than I thought it, I felt something. It came from the cliff itself, and shot up through me, burning. It felt like electricity, alive. It shocked me senseless and before I could stop myself, I was going over the edge.

* * *

><p>"Good to see you again, Fullmetal." Mustang said in a bored tone.<p>

"Oh, you sound like you mean it, Colonel." Ed remarked, planting himself on one of the couches in Mustang's office.

A smirk replaced Mustang's frown. "How goes the search?"

Ed shifted his eyes away. Norx Village had been a bust. Him and Al had followed a lead there, but had come up empty. Just like every other time.

"There was no Philosopher's Stone in Norx Village." Ed finally said.

"So," Mustang said, "the stone eludes you once again."

Ed bristled, "Was there a reason you had me come back to Central or did you just want to chat?"

Mustang leaned back in his chair, considering. "I have a mission for you."

Ed fidgeted on the couch, "What kind of mission?"

"I admit, there's not much to it, but I still needed you for this one. You're to go to the train station and escort a prisoner here by the name of Edgar Ronin."

"That's it?" Ed's eyes widened in annoyance. "You had me come here to babysit someone?"

"This man isn't just an ordinary prisoner." Mustang's voice rose. "He's been researching the Philosopher's Stone and has been rumored to have succeeded in creating one."

"Seriously?" Ed asked, interested at last.

Mustang nodded. "I want you to go through all of his research. It's on the train with him. Since you're already here, you can escort him from the station."

"Alright." Ed agreed, standing. This might turn up something, or at least lead Ed and his brother in the right direction.

Ed started for the door, but stopped. "Hey, Colonel."

"What is it Fullmetal?" Mustang looked back up from a document he had begun reading.

"Why is this Edgar Ronin in custody? I mean, he's just a researcher, right?"

Mustang sat the piece of paper down and met Ed's eyes. "Ronin is suspected of using humans in his research."

"Oh."

Outside of Mustang's office, Al greeted him, "How did it go, Brother?"

Ed looked up at Al and grinned reassuringly, "It looks like we've got a job to do."

* * *

><p>I woke up in a cold, dark place. "What happened?" I groaned, sitting up. The memory came to me in a flash. The cliff. I had fallen off the cliff. I should have ended up in the ocean, but I hadn't. I wasn't even wet.<p>

I stood, scoping the area for clues to where I was. It was almost too dark to see anything. I stood in some sort of tunnel, that much I could tell. Running down the length of the ceiling were tiny cracks letting in just enough light to see.

At least I wasn't hurt or dead. Yeah, that's the way! Find something positive about a completely negative situation.

"Where am I?" I thought aloud. How did I get here? I was still in Ireland, right? Was anyone looking for me? Did they think I was dead?

I glanced down both ends of the tunnel. Both of them went on forever. Which one should I choose to go down? Cause I had to choose one. I couldn't just wait here for help that might never come.

The direction behind me went from barely lit to pitch black. But the one in front of me appeared to get lighter the farther it went.

"That way," I said to the one in front of me and started walking. As I walked I could hear my footsteps echoing off the walls. It was so creepy. I so didn't want to be in a creepy tunnel by myself. This was never part of the tour.

As I went farther down, the light from the cracks got brighter. I walked until I could finally see something at the end.

"Hello?" I called out. My voice bouncing off the walls was the only answer I received.

I went on to the end of the tunnel where there was an opening to a large circular room.

"What is this?" I asked, looking all around. There were markings all over the floor, as if they'd been drawn there. They connected into circles with strange symbols placed in the spaces in between. It was intricate and yet perfectly symmetrical. In the center of the design was a skinny altar. On top of the altar sat a shiny red stone, small enough to fit in my hand.

It all seemed so familiar. I had seen this somewhere before, I just knew it. But where? What did this remind me of?

"Transmutation circles." I breathed in wonder. "Then that must mean-." I gasped, looking back to the altar.

"No way." I shook my head in denial. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't be! But it was here, right in front of me. "The Philosopher's Stone." I said in wonder.

I took a tentative step forward onto the edge of the circle. When nothing happened, I let out a breath I hadn't known I had been holding. Then I took another step, and then another, and another. Before I knew it, I found myself in front of the altar.

I stared at the stone. It wasn't smooth. It was in the shape of an oval with faucets over its surface. The light reflected off it in such a way that I thought there might actually be a light within it. It was mesmerizing.

Doubt weighed heavily on my mind but I thought, _What if? _What if this could be true? I recognized everything for what it might really be. Was it true?

I reached out and caressed the stone gently. It wasn't cold like I thought it would be. It was somehow emitting its own warmth. Curious, I picked the stone up and held it, gazing at it intently.

A jolt of electricity ran up from my feet through my entire body. It felt like what had happened on the cliff. The energy shocked me to the core.

Suddenly, the circle began to glow. It wasn't the bright blue I was familiar with. It was red, as red as the stone. The symbols, the lines, all of it was glowing.

A black line appeared to split the circle in half. Then it opened.

I gasped in terror. It was an eye! I was standing on a giant eye!

From the depths of the eye, black arms swam out and wrapped around me. They were too fast and I couldn't get away. They lifted me easily into the air.

"Nooo!" I screamed helplessly. The arms plunged me into the eye and I screamed again.

* * *

><p>All I saw was white. White nothingness. It stretched on and on, endlessly. I wondered how long I had been looking down that expanse of nothingness.<p>

I turned around. Sitting yards away was a person. Well, actually it wasn't human at all. I was the shape of a person though. There were tiny black fragments that outlined its body. It had no features except for a mouth.

"Who are you?" the words spilled from my mouth.

It smiled, "You know who I am." The voice was a combination of many voices.

"This isn't possible." I said, shaking my head.

"And yet you are here."

Still shaking my head, I muttered, "You're the Truth."

"Very good." it laughed.

"How did I get here?" I asked.

Truth stood. "I brought you here."

"Why?" I asked.

Truth came to stand closer to me, only a few feet away. "I think you can make things more interesting."

I didn't understand what it was saying, but I was afraid. I knew what happened to people in this place.

"Don't worry." it assured me. "I brought you here, so you need not sacrifice anything."

The fear didn't leave me. I didn't know if I could trust what Truth was saying. I clenched my fists and realized I was still holding the stone.

I held it up, "Is this really the Philosopher's Stone?"

It smiled, "Yes." Truth said nothing more. It took those last few steps and touched the stone.

The stone became scalding and I screamed. I tried to drop it but couldn't. I dropped to my knees, red energy crackling up from my hand to consume my whole body. I squinted through the pain to see the stone. It shined so bright. Too bright. I could feel it changing texture and shape, becoming a liquid almost. It seeped into my skin and the pain intensified.

Truth stepped away but in its place was a giant gate. It opened wide to a terrifying darkness.

I heard Truth's voice one last time, "We'll meet again." Its voice dissipated, but not before I recognized my own voice mixed in with the other ones. I looked around but Truth had disappeared. All that was left was me huddled on the ground with the gate looming over me.

A thousand eyes opened in unison in the shadows. They stared at me hungrily. Black arms snaked out and I couldn't get away. I couldn't even move. They covered me and pulled me unwillingly into the darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**First Encounters**

The train was close to Central now. The conductor yawned and gazed out the window with anticipation. He could even see Central. Yes, the train was so close.

But the train would never make it to it's destination.

The conductor spotted something unusual out on the tracks ahead. What could it be?

A woman! What was a woman doing on the track? The conductor pulled the horn and the train blared but still she did not move.

"She's not gonna move." the conductor realized. He hurried and pressed the brakes. The train screeched and began to slow but it wasn't going to slow down fast enough.

The conductor looked out at the woman as the train barreled down towards her. "Move!" the conductor yelled uselessly.

The woman waited until the last second and jumped into the air.

"What?" the shocked conductor said in disbelief. He leaned out of the window further and looked up, searching. The last thing he saw was something shoot out from the roof and impale his head. The conductor's body fell limp over the window.

Lust glided in through the window and stood within the train. The train was already stopping so there was no need for her to mess with the controls.

"Good." Lust smiled. This would give them enough time.

She walked into the car with the passengers. All of them looked up at her curiously. No doubt, they were wondering why the train had stopped and where this strange dark-haired beauty had come from. Lust didn't even spare them a glance. She walked past their seats into the other car. She knew where she was going. She knew where to find Edgar Ronin.

She reached Ronin's private room where soldiers were keeping him in custody. Two guards stood at the door. They turned to her and she was not what they had expected.

"Miss." the closest one addressed her. "You can't be back here. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Lust smiled and in her deep, seductive voice replied, "Not until I get what I came here for."

The guard, sensing the threat, turned his gun to her. But he wasn't fast enough. Lust's hand shot out and her fingers speared his body. She withdrew and his body fell to the floor, dead.

The other guard's face distorted in fear and he went for his gun, but he too met his demise before he could fire a single shot.

Satisfied, Lust opened the door, and was met with a hail of bullets from the two guards inside. Her body danced back with the force of each bullet.

The guards ceased fire, waiting for her to fall. Lust never fell, though. Her body worked to heal itself, pushing the bullets out and closing the skin. Lust met their terrified gazes. Before they fired again, Lust killed them just as easily as the first two.

"Edgar Ronin." Lust greeted the man cowering in the corner.

"Please don't kill me!" he begged.

"You disappoint me." Lust told him. "You were suppose to make me a Philosopher's Stone. I even gave you one so you could make me another." This was a lie. The stone Lust had given the man had been a fake. But Ronin didn't know that.

"I tried. I was close but the one you gave me lost its power somehow. And then the military caught me."

Lust impaled him in the shoulder, causing him to cry out. "You weren't close enough." Voices could be heard as people approached them. Lust needed to leave. "You weren't close enough to save your life." she finished, turning back to him.

Ronin had taken advantage of the distraction and had drawn a transmutation circle on the floor. Lust, realizing how careless she'd been, went in for the kill. There was a flash of blue light as Ronin activated the circle.

* * *

><p>Ed lounged on the wooden bench at the station. Al, sitting next to him, commented, "The train should be here any second."<p>

"Yeah." Ed responded, gazing out into the night.

"Brother, what do you think we'll find in Ronin's research?" Al asked.

Ed kept staring out into the distance as he answered, "I don't know, but I hope we find something. It's about time we caught a brea¾."

Ed was interrupted by a huge explosion on the outskirts of Central.

"What was that?" Al asked as he and Ed stood up in alarm.

Ed searched his mind for all the possibilities and came to the only logical conclusion. "The train! Come on, Alphonse." Ed sprinted out of the station with Al following close behind.

* * *

><p>Lust stood carefully. Her body was in the process of healing itself. In the next minute she would be fine. But anger coursed through her.<p>

Lust glared at the burning car. The other passengers and workers not caught in the blast were escaping the train in panic.

"Oh, well." Lust sighed. Ronin was dead now. There was no point in being angry at a dead man.

She let herself rest until her body fully healed and she could easily flee the scene. And none would be the wiser.

"Lust!" came a surprised voice.

Lust turned to meet Edward's accusing glare. "Edward Elric. It's just one surprise after another tonight." Lust's eyes narrowed at the boy. She should have left sooner. She didn't need a confrontation with the Fullmetal Alchemist.

"It was you!" Ed shouted. "You did this!"

Lust crossed her arms, "In a way, I suppose you could say I caused this."

Abruptly, Lust attacked Ed.

* * *

><p>I opened my eyes to a night sky filled with stars. <em>Pretty<em>, I thought and tried to sit up. The world swam and I laid back down. Better not get up for now.

Noises began to come to me. It was like I was hearing them through a filter. The noises were muffled and indistinct.

I managed to roll over with success. What I saw I didn't comprehend. Through my bleary vision I took in the shapes and pieced it together within my mind. Train, I thought. It looked like a train. But it was on fire. Why was the train on fire?

There was screaming and voices but I didn't understand what was going on. Straining around to gain a better view, my eyes scanned the crowd. People were running off of other sections of the train. I didn't blame them. I searched the crowd without knowing what I was looking for.

My eyes stopped on a woman. She was hurt, picking herself off of the ground. I watched as her wounds began to close. Astonished, I checked her face. I was shocked to realize I knew her.

"No." I said in disbelief. But my eyes were confirming it true. This was a homunculus. The homunculus known as Lust.

"I'm in Amestris." I told myself.

I tore my eyes away to find the crowd had two newcomers. One was very noticeably a giant suit of armor. The other was a boy about my age in a long red coat with golden hair. It was _them_.

I could barely believe what I was seeing. I glanced back to Lust. It seemed she had already healed herself. Should I warn Ed and Al?

There was no need to. Ed looked at Lust with a surprised expression. He quickly told Al something and jogged to where Lust stood. Al stayed behind to help the crowd. I think he was trying to keep them away from danger.

Edward went to Lust. They started talking but my ears were still too muffled and they were too far away to hear clearly. After a few moments Lust lunged towards Ed.

_What should I do_? I thought frantically, trying to sit up. Lust and Ed were now fighting in earnest. My hand pushed against something sharp and I retracted it. I peered at my hand as blood pooled in it from the stinging cut.

"Hey." I heard a hollow voice. I looked up to see Al running towards me. "Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling. He was so much bigger in person.

"Alphonse?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Al seemed taken aback, but quickly refocused on his task. He reached for me and helped me sit up. "Let's go," he said.

"But Ed's in trouble." I protested.

I had surprised Al a second time, but he glanced up anyway. "Brother!" Al called.

Ed fended off Lust the best he could, using a spear he had transmuted. "I'm okay! Just get those passengers out of here!"

"Right." Al nodded, going to help me again. His attention was turned to me, so he didn't see what happened next.

Gluttony jumped out from the trees and landed on Ed. Ed fell to the ground with Gluttony on top of him. His arms were busy keeping Gluttony's hungry mouth away from him, so he was defenseless against Lust. She knew this and was about to strike him with fingers that could kill.

"Stop!" I screamed, throwing my hands down. A red crackling energy appeared under my hands and shot out towards the others. It went in between Lust and Ed and the ground rose up to stop Lust's fingers.

I stared in wonder at what I had done. I had created a giant wall. Was it alchemy? Did I just use alchemy?

Al looked down, still holding onto me. "How did you…?"

Lust glanced at us and her expression was anything but friendly.

* * *

><p>While Ed was struggling with Gluttony, he saw Lust about to strike him. And there was nothing he could do to stop her.<p>

A wall grew up from the ground, halting Lust's attack. It was alchemy. Ed was going to have to thank Al later.

Ed moved and, with his feet, thrust Gluttony into the air behind him. Ed jumped up and spun around. He clapped his hands together and slapped them to the ground. The ground lifter over Gluttony and trapped him, leaving him immobile.

"Alright." Ed grunted, pleased with himself. He glanced up to find Al hovering over a girl close to the train. He watched as, from the other side of the wall, Lust shot out and knocked Al off of his feet. He went flying with the force of the blow.

"Al!" Ed yelled. He started forward but stopped when Gluttony shifted. He was beginning to break free. A crack formed on the bonds. Then another . Ed clapped his hands again and strengthened the bonds.

From his hunched position, he searched for the other homunculus. Lust had the girl by the neck, lifting her in the air. Why was she going after the girl? Why wasn't she going after Al or Ed?

Lust talked to the girl for a minute. Then lifted her arm, readying herself for the killing blow.

"No!" Ed shouted at the same time the girl did. The girl wrapped her hand around the arm that held her up. As soon as she did a visible red current ran up Lust's arm and engulfed her in it's energy. Lust let out a shrill scream of agony. She dropped the girl and staggered backwards until she fell to the ground. Lust writhed in pain, her skin burned and melted.

_Did the girl do that_? Ed wondered.

Gluttony let out a wild cry. Ed brought his attention back to him. "Crap!" Ed said. Gluttony broke free of the bonds. Ed had just enough time to bring his arms up to protect himself.

Gluttony slammed into him, hard. Ed's breath was knocked out of him but he still prepared for Gluttony's next attack.

Instead of going for Ed again, Gluttony ran over to Lust. "My Lust." he said, standing over her. He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder. He yelled, "You'll pay for what you did to my Lust!" Gluttony bounded off into the woods from wince he came.

Ed, blinking fast, turned his head back to the girl. She was on her knees, breathing hard. Al had come back and kneeled next to her. He turned and caught Ed's gaze. "Brother!" he called for him.

Ed pushed off of the ground and headed for them. He stood in front of the two of them. Al kept glancing back and forth between Ed and the girl.

Ed eyed her. She was small, but with shapely curves. Her red-brown hair reached her waist. She looked up at Ed, still breathing in pants. Her skin was pale, her lips full, but her eyes… They were a wide, piercing green.

Ed knelt in front of her.

"Did I do good?" she asked him and Ed realized something. Her expression, it was scared.

Ed smiled gently at her, "Yeah." Ed may not have a clue to how she had done it, but this girl had saved them. That was good in his book.

A small smile played on her lips. "Good." she said in a weak voice, eyes sliding shut. She fell forward and Ed instinctively caught her. He rolled her over in his lap and brushed her long hair out of the way. Ed watched in relief as she breathed in and out.

Al asked while gazing at the passed out girl, "what do we do now, Brother?"

Ed's eyes were locked on the girl's face as he said, "I hate to say it, but I think we should call Mustang."

* * *

><p><strong>End of chapter 2. No, this scene does not take place in the anime. Its something I threw in to progress the story. If you're peeved that I haven't been listing who it is when the point of view changes, don't worry. I'm going to start doing that in the next chapter. I just didn't do it for the first 2 because they were complicated.<strong>

**Just for the record, Taylor is not me, nor is she someone I created. She's my best friend and at first I wrote the first chapter to get a laugh out of her but then I couldn't stop writing. I am currently working on chapter 19 and am working on transferring the pages I wrote in pencil to the computer. I'll try to update whenever I can so stayed tuned. No really. Stay tuned cause the story gets better from here.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! I've been working hard on updating this. I'm not going to be able to update it on the weekdays, just the weekends when I have access to the internet. But you can expect a few chapters to go up during the weekends.**

**I hope you're enjoying the story so far. I know I did writing it. If you like it then stay tuned for more chapters. And please review! Tell me what you like, tell me what you don't like. And especially tell me if I got something wrong. I like to know when I'm wrong.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Who are you?**

(-Ed-)

The doctor came out of the room and into the hall. Ed and Al stood, ready to hear the diagnosis.

"She's perfectly healthy." the doctor concluded.

"Then why did she pass out?" Alphonse asked.

"Due to exhaustion, I believe." he answered.

"I guess she used up a lot of energy doing…" Ed paused, thinking, "…whatever it is that she did."

"You're sure she's alright?" Alphonse asked the doctor.

"Well," the doctor considered for a moment but shook his head. "She'll be fine. Don't worry." With that, the doctor walked off to attend his other patients.

Ed and Al exchanged a look and shrugged.

"I wonder who she is." Al said thoughtfully.

Ed nodded, crossing his arms. "And how did she do that to Lust? You saw it, right? She didn't use a transmutation circle. But it was alchemy."

"I saw it." Al assured.

"Oh." Ed said, remembering. "Thanks by the way. If you hadn't of made that wall I would have been toast."

Al stared wide-eyed at Ed, "But I didn't make that wall."

"Then who¾?" Ed's confusion changed to understanding. "You mean that girl did that too?"

"Yes." Al answered. "And she didn't use a transmutation circle for that either." A moment passed and Al suggested, "Do you think she's like you, Brother?"

Ed considered it. "Did she clap her hands together to make an inner circle?"

"No." Al shook his head.

"Well then. Isn't this a puzzle." Ed closed his eyes and frowned, "I hate puzzles."

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Al said abruptly. Ed opened his eyes to look at him. "She knew our names."

"What?" Al couldn't have surprised him more.

"She called us by our names."

"How does she know us? We've never met her before." Ed narrowed his eyes at Al, "You haven't met her before, have you?"

Al waved his hands, "No, not before tonight."

"Hm, then I'm stumped." Ed admitted.

"Look, there's the Colonel." Al said.

"So what'd you find out?" Ed asked Mustang immediately.

Mustang answered, "Major Armstrong is still searching the wreckage, but it appears Ronin either died from the explosion or fled during the commotion."

"What caused the explosion?"

"Not sure yet. They're still looking into it. Tell me about your run in with the homunculi."

"There was a girl." Al spoke.

"A girl?" Mustang repeated.

"She helped us using some form of alchemy I've never seen." Ed explained. "We brought her here and have been waiting to question her."

"What did she do?"

"Advanced alchemy without transmutation circles."

Mustang cocked and eyebrow, "Like you, Fullmetal?"

Ed growled, "No, it was different than mine."

"Hm, that makes me wonder if her being a passenger was a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

"Was she connected to Ronin? Did she cause the explosion somehow?"

"I'm certain it was Lust who caused the explosion." Ed affirmed. "As for the connection to Ronin, I don't think that's true."

"Yeah." Al supported him. "Why else would she help us against the homunculi?"

"And why were the homunculi there in the first place?"

Mustang went to the door, "Let's go find out."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I was in a dark place. It was so dark. I couldn't see a thing. I couldn't move. _So dark_…

Suddenly, everywhere, eyes opened. There were thousands of them. And they were all staring at me.

I gasped and lurched forward.

"Its alright. You're safe." someone assured me. To my left I found Alphonse. If a suit of armor could look worried, he did.

"Oh." I breathed. My head turned to check out the rest of the room. Ed! And Mustang! They were standing around my bed!

_My _bed? This wasn't my bed. This wasn't my room. I was still in Amestris. But where?

I focused my attention back to the guys milling around the bed. I couldn't believe I was actually meeting them! Though, I'm sad to say that when I saw Ed and Mustang my thoughts went straight to Edro stuff. Gaah! That's demented.

"Hello." Mustang greeted me, standing at the foot of the bed. "My name is Colonel Roy Mustang. I have some questions regarding the train incident."

"Train?" I asked. Then I remembered the panicked passengers, the burning car, the homunculi. "Oh, yeah. There was a train."

"Do you know what caused the explosion?" Mustang eyed me critically.

I shook my head and answered truthfully, "No."

"What was your purpose for riding the train?"

Huh? They thought I was a passenger? Seriously? What did I say to that? 'No, I just appeared there'. No, they'd think I was crazy. So, maybe I should just go along with it.

"I was on the train because…" Oh, yeah. I needed a reason! "I don't really remember why I was on the train." Oh, great! I should have just went ahead and told the, I had appeared there!

"You don't remember?" Mustang asked doubtfully.

"I, ah, think I hit my head or something. Its all fuzzy." Amnesia. Had to admit it was classic.

"The doctor didn't mention anything like that." said Al.

"Well, I," my voice wavered. "I'm not sure why I can't remember then." Oh, man! That didn't sound believable even to my ears. They were gonna know I was lying.

"What's your name?" Mustang asked. "Do you remember that much?

"My name?" Was I supposed to lie? It was alright if I told them my real name, right? "My name is Taylor. Taylor Riley."

Ed smirked and spoke for the first time, "Taylor Riley? That's an unusual name."

My anger was immediate, "And what, like you have such an ordinary name?"

He stared at me, "My name is Edward. That's about as ordinary as it gets."

"Oh." I said. _I can't believe I just snapped at him. So not the first thing I wanted to say to him._

"Excuse me," Al began politely, "how did you know our names?" Mustang's ears pricked up at this. I wondered how much they had discussed about me.

"I¾." What was I supposed to say, 'I know you from your show'? Yeah, that would blow over real well.

Inspiration hit me. Ha, ha! Genius! "I've heard of you. The Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother Alphonse. I've heard a lot about¾."

Ed cut off my words and began to rant, "Yeah, yeah. You've heard that Al's the younger brother and how you can't believe I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist and how you thought I'd be taller."

"No, you're perfect." I said the words before I could stop myself.

That brought Ed up short (no pun intended). He gaped at me, his mouth opened in an O.

_I did not just say that. I did not just say that!_

"Well," Mustang began with a devilish grin. "If you've heard of Fullmetal then I'm sure you've heard of me."

Ed's smirk returned in full force. "Yeah, heard of your big ego."

I stifled a grin, but not before Ed saw my amusement. He smiled. Ah! Ed smiled at me!

Ed's smile lessened as a fierce expression took over. "What kind of alchemy did you use?" From the way he looked at me I could tell he had been dying to know.

I had completely forgotten. I had used alchemy. _Me! _I had created that ginormous wall with _alchemy_. But I had no idea how I had done it. I didn't use a transmutation circle. Did I need to? Was I like Ed? No, I hadn't clapped my hands together either. Then how did I do it?

"I don't know what kind of alchemy I used." I admitted truthfully. "In fact, I've never used alchemy before that."

"You're kidding." Ed said amazed. "What you did to Lust was…" Ed's words trailed off.

The memory came back to me, fast and strong. I had melted the skin off of her. I shuddered, "I panicked. I'm not sure what I did or how I did it."

Everyone reflected on my words. I think I had them puzzled.

"What did Lust say to you? The woman." he quickly added, because I didn't know who he meant. Or I wasn't supposed to know, at least.

Right before I melted Lust's skin off, she had pulled me in close. "I'll kill you for that." She raised her arm and before she struck, her eyes widened. She gazed at me with such shock. "A sacrifice!" I don't know what she saw but it made her hesitate. That had given me enough time to lay my hands on her and…

"She called me a sacrifice." I said. I don't think I could have surprised them more. "What's a sacrifice?" I asked, but I think I knew what she meant.

"Um." they all glanced at each other nervously.

Before anyone thought of an answer, the door slammed open.

"Colonel Mustang! I am here!" Armstrong burst through the doorway.

Mustang's eyes narrowed at the loud interruption, "That you are."

Ed and Al began edging away with fear in their eyes. Armstrong saw them and bellowed, "Elric brothers! So good to see you again!"

"Hi, Major." Al said uneasily as Ed grimaced and nodded.

"Armstrong." Mustang called. "Did you find Ronin?"

Armstrong became serious and answered, "Yes. We found his body, burned from the explosion."

_Huh_? Who were they talking about?

"And his research?" Mustang inquired.

"Destroyed beyond repair."

"That bites." Ed grumbled.

"Do you know what cause the explosion?" Al asked.

Armstrong nodded. "I believe it was from alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Mustang said surprised. "Could Ronin have caused it?"

"Maybe Lust was after Ronin." Al suggested.

"That would explain why the homunculi were there." Mustang said.

Armstrong turned and for the first time saw me. His brows went up, "Young lady!" He stepped over to me and offered me his hand. "I did not notice you, seeing as how tiny you are! I am Alex Louis Armstrong, the Strong Armed Alchemist!"

I shook his hand while a vein in my forehead twitched, "Tiny?" He released me and I shook my hand to get the feeling back in it.

Armstrong turned back to Mustang, "Sir, the Fuhrer requests your audience."

Mustang sighed, then glanced at me.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

I'm going to have to figure out what to do with me." Mustang said, staring at the girl.

"Do with me?" Taylor asked.

Mustang nodded, "Lust calling you a sacrifice concerns me. If we let you go unprotected they may come after you. We need someone to act as your bodyguard for the time being."

Armstrong stripped off his shirt and did a pose to show off his muscles, "Allow me to guard this tiny, young lady! I would be happy to use my strength for her protection!"

Taylor paled at Armstrong's offer. Ed didn't blame her one bit.

"That won't be necessary, Major." Mustang said with a smug expression. "I have someone else in mind."

Mustang stared at Ed very purposefully.

"Me?" Ed asked, surprised.

"If you think its too hard of a mission then I can assign Armstrong to her." Mustang suggested with a sly smile.

Ed looked at the girl and she looked at him back. The fear was obvious in her eyes.

Ed sighed, "I'll do it." After all, he couldn't just leave her with Armstrong of all people. No one deserved that.

"Very well, Fullmetal." Mustang's smug smile deepened. "Tell me when you have any new information on this," he glanced at Taylor, "curious matter. Come Major. We're leaving." Mustang strolled out of the room.

"Farewell you tiny people, with the exception of Alphonse of course!" Armstrong bellowed as he left.

The door closed before Ed and Taylor shouted in unison, "I am not tiny!" Ed and Taylor stared at each other. Ed chuckled and she blushed.

"Thank you." she said, not meeting his eyes. "For not leaving me with him. He's kind of intimidating."

"Don't mention it." Ed scratched his cheek. This girl had only known Armstrong for two minutes and already she grasped what a pain he could be. "We'll go check with the doctor and see if you can leave." Al followed Ed into the hallway.

"She was nice." Al commented.

Ed shrugged, "Yeah."

A few steps down the hall and Al spoke again, "She was really pretty, wasn't she, Brother?"

"Ack!" Ed turned away, face red. "I didn't really notice." he lied.

Al laughed softly.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"That was perfect." I smiled to myself. Ed and me had shouted at the same time. I should have said, "Jinx, you owe me a soda." But then Ed would probably have looked at me like, "What's a soda?"

I pushed the covers off of me and stood. There was no dizziness thankfully. In fact, the only injury I had was the scratch on my hand. There was a white bandage covering it that the doctor must have put on there. It was slightly stained with blood.

I wandered to the window. It was still night time. The fight must have been mere hours ago. _Who was that Ronin guy they were talking about_? I had never heard of him from the show.

Looking out at the city I realized that this must be Central. It was big!

There was a mirror on the wall and I went to stand in front of it. I looked tired. I reached out to touch my reflection. Halfway there, my sleeve brushed up my arm and I saw my forearm.

I gasped. There were markings on my arm. I rolled up the sleeve and saw more. There were more on my other arm too! I lifted up my shirt to see my stomach. They were there as well!.

They were black, black tattoos. The tattoos were intricate circles that all connected with funky symbols.

"Wait, these are…!"

* * *

><p><strong>Aaah! What are they? What are they? Don't worry, it gets explained... In chapter five. But this gives you a chance to guess what they are.<strong>

**BTW: I have changed up the story just a little bit. Ed and Al have had more encounters with the homunculi already but this doesn't really change much. They just know the homunculi better is all.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, chapter 4. **

**I'm kinda bummed about when I section off the separate parts in a chapter. I've gotten into the habit of drawing tiny transmutation circles to separate them. Sadly though, that option is not on here. Ah, well. They looked funny looking anyway.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Where we going?**

(-Ed-)

Ed and Al walked out of the doctor's office. He had said that Taylor was free to leave. They were walking back to her room when Ed felt a twinge in his right shoulder.

Ed stopped in the middle of the hallway to examine his automail arm.

"Brother?" Al stopped too.

"Great. Just what I needed." Ed fumed. A section of the arm was busted. He was surprised he hadn't noticed it sooner. "Must have been when Gluttony rushed me." Ed explained.

"Does it work okay?" Al asked him.

Ed tested the fingers. One of them didn't move. "You know what this means Al?"

Al's eyes brightened, "A trip to Resembool?"

Ed glowered, "You don't have to sound so excited about it."

Al didn't listen to him. He stayed happy.

Ed did not want to go back home. For one, Winry was going to kill him when she saw the arm. Another reason, this would take days of their time. But Ed couldn't leave his automail unattended. It would only get worse.

"Let's go find a phone." Ed said begrudgingly.

They found a phone near the nurse's station. Ed picked up the phone, "I'll call Hawkeye first and leave a message for Mustang." He dialed and the line rang. She answered on the second ring.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, this is Edward Elric. I'm calling to leave a message for the Colonel. Al and I are heading to Resembool for some repairs on my automail." Ed explained.

Are you currently on a mission?" she asked with her constant serious tone.

"Well, sort of." Ed laughed humorlessly. "But don't worry. I'll take it with me."

"Ed?" Hawkeye asked confused.

"Don't worry about it." Ed assured her. "Just inform the Colonel that we're headed home." He then hung up the phone.

Ed was about to walk away but All stopped him, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

"What?" Ed asked, dumbfounded.

"Winry?"

"Oh, that." Ed muttered, a dark cloud hanging over him. "Why don't you call her?"

"But, Brother¾." Al protested.

Ed began running down the hall, yelling back, "I'll leave you to handle it!" Ed left Al by the phone, freaking out.

"Ah, Al." Ed shook his head, laughing. He stopped at Taylor's door. _Should I knock?_ he thought. Then he shrugged and went on in.

Taylor sat on the end of the bed, her back facing the door. She seemed distracted.

Ed closed the door back softly. He took a couple of steps into the room. "Are you¾?"

"Eek!" Taylor jumped up and around. She had her hand pressed to her chest like her heart was beating fast. "You scared me." she stared at Ed accusingly.

"Sorry." Ed apologized. "I was just asking if you were okay. You seemed deep in thought."

Taylor glanced down and began fidgeting with her clothes. "I'm trying to adjust to everything, that's all. A lot's happened in one night."

Ed nodded. "From what I see you're taking it alright."

Taylor shrugged, "One step at a time. But I have to admit, this is the first time my body's ever needed to be guarded. It's new."

Ed grinned, "You should feel honored. You're going to have two of the best guarding you."

He had meant it as a joke and had expected Taylor to roll her eyes, but she didn't. Her body was drawn tight, her face worried. "Edward, do you think they'll come for me?"

Ed understood that she meant the homunculi. Lust had called Taylor a sacrifice. She must have been scared, wondering what they could possibly want with her. Ed had been called a sacrifice by the homunculi on more than one occasion and he still didn't understand what they meant. Regardless of whether he understood or not, the homunculi kept popping up, like tonight. They would keep coming for this girl too."

"I'm positive they will." Ed answered truthfully. "But when they do come you'll have me and Al here to protect you."

"Okay." Taylor tried to smile.

"So," Ed attempted to change the subject, "where are you from?"

"I can't, um, what I mean is," she stuttered. "I don't remember."

Ed raised his eyebrows. That was, by far, the worst lie he had ever heard. "You're a terrible liar."

She fumed, "Am not!"

"So you admit that you lied!" Ed pointed his finger at her.

"Uh, no. I didn't say that!" she tried to back track over her mistake.

"But you implied it." Ed persisted.

"Stop it! You're putting words in my mouth."

"Fine." Ed sighed heavily. "Can you at least tell me what you were doing on the train?"

Her eyes shifted to anything but him, "I never said I was on the train. You just assumed I was."

Ed's eyes widened, "I thought you said you couldn't remember."

Taylor showed her discomfort by rubbing her arms. "I didn't lie about that. I really can't remember. All I know is that I woke up beside the wreckage of the train. I have no idea how I got there."

This was the truth, at least. She seemed to honestly not remember how she got there, and not knowing made her uncomfortable.

"Alright then." Ed shrugged, giving up. "I guess you'll tell me when you're ready. But I warn you, if it turns out you're some wanted ax murderer, you and I are going to exchange words."

Taylor giggled, the tightness in her body dissolving. "I promise I have never killed someone…" she gave it a second and, "…with an ax."

Ed glanced apprehensively at her from the corner of his eye and she laughed again. He shook his head and turned around, but smiled. "Come on. Al's probably waiting for us."

"Um, where are we going?" Taylor asked, curiously.

Ed looked over his shoulder, "First we'll go back to the hotel and get some rest. Then tomorrow we'll be heading to Resembool. It's where Al and I grew up and where my mechanic lives. It's a small town so I doubt you've ever heard of it."

She shook her head, excited, "No, I've heard about it. I've always wanted to go there."

"You have?" Ed asked, astonished. "I don't know why. It's a pretty boring town."

Taylor shrugged and scuffed her shoe. Was she serious? Why would she want to go to Resembool? Nothing ever happened there."

Ed thought on it. It was obvious that she had her memory and was hiding things. But Ed could figure out what she was hiding. If she refused to tell him did that mean what she was hiding was bad? What could it be?

Ed left the room with his new mission close behind. Whatever it was she was keeping from him, Ed would figure it out. He already knew, the next few days would be interesting.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Home sweet home." Ed announced. "For tonight, anyway."

I looked around the hotel room. We stood in the small living room that held two couches, a coffee table between them, another table with flowers on it, and drapes. That was about it.

"Quaint." I murmured.

"I already checked with the station." Al stated. "Our trains leaving at nine-fifteen."

Ed groaned, "For once I'd like to be able to wake up to something other than a train ride."

"You guys ride trains a lot?" I asked, though I had gathered they did.

"Oh, yeah." Ed grumbled. He went to one of the three doors leading out of the living room. I peered over his shoulder and saw two beds. Hm…

"Um, Ed?" I asked. I was seriously about to mess with him. "There are only two beds."

Ed's brows furrowed, "What's your point?"

I pointed to each of us as I counted off, "There are one, two, three of us."

"Oh, uh," Ed began to realize my meaning. He was so accustomed to Al not needing a bed. He had forgotten to put on the charade that there was a body in that suit of armor.

Al saved the day by saying, "It's okay. I'll just, uh, sleep on the couch." He turned to walk out of the room. "Good night." he said, a nervous tinge hanging in his voice as he shut the door. Ed didn't move, but on the inside he was wiping his forehead, going, "Whew!"

A thought occurred to me. I was alone in a bedroom with Edward Elric…This had possibilities.

I laughed and shook my head, ridding my brain of the thoughts.

Ed looked at me. He asked, as if he had missed something, "What?"

I shook my head again and bounced on one of the beds. "Nothing." I got comfortable on the bed, which was comfy by the way. "So, why are we going to Resembool?"

Ed removed his coat and laid it down. He then slid up the right sleeve of his shirt. "My automail needs repairing. My mechanic lives there."

I gazed at his metal arm. A section on the forearm was bent. "May I?" I reached out tentatively.

Ed didn't let most of it show but a small amount of surprise registered on his face. He stepped towards me and held his arm out for my viewing. I touched it lightly at first. The metal was cool and hard to my fingertips. I ran my hands over the wedges and indents. Finally, I came to his hand, holding it in both of mine. His fingers squeezed ever so slightly.

I smiled and let him go, dropping my hands in my lap. "Impressive."

"I do have the best mechanic." Ed informed me.

That made me think about our trip to Resembool. Soon I would be meeting Winry and Pinako. Eeep! I couldn't wait.

Ed frowned down at me. He waited for me to say something but I didn't know what. He finally asked, "Aren't you going to ask how I lost my arm?"

"Did you want me to know?" I challenged.

That confused him, "I- I don't know."

A small smile came to my lips, "I wasn't going to ask you. You lost your arm, which sounds like a painful enough experience to me. You don't have to tell me about it." I said all of this even though I already knew the answer.

I had shocked him a second time. Ed turned away from me, thinking about what I had said. "Most people would be dying to know." He turned back to me, gazing at me thoughtfully. "But you're not most people. Are you?"

I gave him my best closed mouth smile, "Nope."

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed found it particularly hard to fall asleep that night. He kept tossing and turning but it was all to no avail. No matter how comfortable he got he could not fall asleep.

Being sneaky about it, Ed lifted his head and peeked at the girl on the other bed. Taylor had fallen asleep within minutes, making Ed envious. She breathed deeply in and out. She muttered something in her sleep and moved.

Ed ducked down, fearing she would wake and find him staring. What was wrong with him? Staring at her while she slept. It was creepy. But Ed couldn't help but look again. She intrigued him, that was it. She had come from nowhere. She used alchemy Ed had never seen before. And the homunculi were after her. This was a mystery Ed was drawn to greatly.

It was safe to say that thoughts of Taylor were what kept him awake. _She called me perfect,_ Ed thought. He definitely hadn't missed that.

Ed peered at her some more. _You know,_ he thought to himself, _it's kind of refreshing meeting a girl who's shorter than I am._

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I woke up as the sun was about to rise. The curtains were open and outside the window I could see the sun lightening the sky. Soon the first rays would reach us, but for now the world waited in semi-darkness.

I sat up with a start. _Was it a dream?_ I glanced frantically to my left and discovered a sleeping Edward. I was still in Amestris. My breath came out in a heavy exhale. I was thankful that it wasn't just a dream, that it was real. That I was still here. I didn't want to leave yet. Or maybe, I never wanted to leave.

Sliding the covers off, I slipped out of bed. I paused, only a couple of feet of space separating me from Ed's bed. I craned my neck forward to get a better view. He lay sprawled out on the bed. The covers had been tossed around wildly, as if he had been tossing all night. His hair was undone, splayed out around him. His mouth was partly open. He looked peaceful.

I blushed and turned away. Although he was entirely too cute, I didn't think he would appreciate me gawking at him while he laid there asleep. Shaking my head, I went to go into the living room. See? I was trying really hard not to be a creeper.

Al sat on the couch and he appeared startled at my entrance. "Oh, uh, hi. I just woke up." Al feigned a yawn.

I closed the door back as not to disturb Ed. I walked to the other couch and sat down. "Its okay, Al. I know you weren't sleeping."

Al began to sweat nervously. And yes, that was a figure of speech. Suits of armor can't sweat. Duh.

I curled myself on the cushion, making Al fret some more before I pointed out, "You're still wearing your armor. People don't sleep in armor."

Al relaxed visibly, "Oh, yeah. You caught me." I could practically hear his thoughts, _Crisis averted!_

We sat in silence for a minute. I eventually asked, "So, you're not gonna ask me a million questions?"

Al shrugged his huge, metal shoulders, "I figured you'd tell us when you were ready."

That was delightfully unexpected. "That's awfully considerate of you. You're different from Ed."

Al laughed, "I'll take that as a compliment."

Since Al and I had broken the ice, I asked him, "What's Resembool like?"

"Resembool?" He became thoughtful. "It's always warm and sunny. It's not a very big town so there'd lots of room for big rolling hills and trees. It's usually windy and you can smell flowers wherever you go. The people there are nice. It's…" he trailed off searching for the word.

"Home." I answered for him.

If Al could smile he would have right then. "Yes, home."

"Sounds a lot different from mine." I said, a little bitterly. I both wished my home was like that and that I could go back to how everything use to be before I fell from that cliff. Funny how unsure I'd become compared to when I woke up thinking I never wanted to leave Amestris.

"Is your home far away?" Al asked me.

"Oh," I said. "Yeah, it is. Way far away."

"Is it in Amestris?" A; asked, intrigued.

"No." I answered definitely. I said nothing more on the matter.

We chatted about miscellaneous things until Ed woke up. After we got ready, we left for the train station.

* * *

><p><strong>I like this last scene with Al. This story isn't just about Ed, its about Al too. As the story goes on Taylor forms a genuine bond with the brothers. This is still in the early stages but lots of stuff happens in the future. So stay tuned for the next chapter.<strong>

**Also, who doesn't love that both Taylor and Ed are being creepers.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I've been getting good reviews so far. Yay! Thank you to the people that are reading and reviewing. I appreciate it.**

**Sadly, I'm not going to be able to update any more after this until next weekend. So enjoy this chapter for now and know that I will update as soon as I can.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**Avalanche!**

(-Taylor-)

The train was boarding. It was nine-fourteen and Al, Ed, and I were in our seats and ready to go. Al was on his own seat and Ed and I sat opposite of him with Ed taking the side with the window.

I watched Ed as his mouth opened in a jaw dropping yawn. I laughed, "That's the tenth time you've yawned."

Ed stared at me, startled. "You're counting my yawns?"

I nodded nervously and said, "Well, just since we got to the train station. You yawn a lot.

Ed's mouth tugged up at one corner as he explained, "I'm not a morning person."

The doors to the train closed and the wheels began to turn. We were on our way to…wherever we were going. It would take two days to get to Resembool and we would have to stop on the way to catch another train.

The train was barreling out of Central when Ed turned to us. "So, what were you two chatting about while I was asleep?"

Al answered happily, "I was telling Taylor about Resembool."

Ed groaned, "Ugh, you just reminded me of where we're going."

"Winry was, uh, excited to hear that we were coming home." Al informed Ed.

Ed rolled his eyes, "I'll bet. I know she's going to eat me alive when she sees my arm. 'You can't go two weeks without breaking my precious creations'." Ed did a bad imitation of Winry.

I coughed to hide a laugh but Ed caught on to my amusement. "Winry's my mechanic. Stand clear of her wrench. It has a bad habit of whacking people's faces."

"She, um, sounds nice." I managed to say.

Ed snickered, "Just wait until you meet her."

"Brother, you're going to frighten Taylor with your exaggerations." Al scolded him.

"I'm not exaggerating! She throws a wrench at me nearly every time I see her."

"Heh, I think that only happens to you." Al said.

Ed muttered something and resumed staring out the window.

The conversation was over, leaving me to my own thoughts. I kept fidgeting with the sleeves of my shirt. I made sure they covered everything, but at the same time I wanted to push the sleeves up and examine the tattoos. I was covered in transmutation circles. I recognized them as the same ones from the room with the altar where I found the Philosopher's Stone. I yearned to show Ed and Al the symbols but was afraid to. Until I knew what they meant I shouldn't let anyone see the tattoos.

I ran my fingers over my palm. There was that too. My hand had completely healed. There wasn't even a scar. The guys had plenty of questions for me, but I had more. What was happening to me?

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

Al watched Taylor as she slept soundly on the train. She was interesting, nice, and kind of funny. But there was so much he and Ed didn't know about her.

"Who do you think she really is?" Al asked Ed.

"Who cares." Ed replied in a nonchalant tone. Al wasn't convinced, though. He knew Ed well enough to know that Ed did care and not knowing bothered him greatly.

"There's got to be a good reason for her not telling us why she was at the train wreck and where she's from."

"Our mission is to guard her. That's all I need to know." Ed stated. But he glanced over at Taylor suspiciously. That may be all he _needed _to know but he _wanted_ to know so much more.

"We know she's not from Amestris, at least." Al supplied helpfully.

Ed's head whipped back to him, "What makes you say that?"

"She told me this morning."

"Oh, so she'll talk to you and tell you all about herself but she won't tell me anything." Ed fumed.

"No, it wasn't like that." Al assured his brother. "I asked her if she was from Amestris and she said no. She didn't tell me anything else."

Ed crossed his arms and leaned over to eye Taylor. "So she didn't tell you much of anything after all. I was worried for a second there that I was the only one she was keeping out of the loop."

"Don't stare at her, Ed. What if she wakes up?" Al warned.

"Ah," Ed turned back harshly to the window. He muttered some more in contempt.

Al kept thinking about early this morning at the hotel. Taylor had spoken as if she knew Al didn't sleep. Not just last night but ever. Could she know that he was empty inside?

Al looked to Ed but he was staring intently out the window. No. He wouldn't worry his brother. For now, he would keep his suspicions to himself.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The train was slowing down. I opened my eyes sleepily, "Are we there yet?"

"No." Ed answered. "We shouldn't be stopping this soon."

The three of us looked around, as did the rest of the passengers. Outside, the sun shone high in the sky. Probably early afternoon. I had slept for hours. No wonder I was stiff.

The train rolled to a stop, the wheels screeching loudly.

"What could have happened?" Al puzzled.

One of the train personnel entered the car, "Ladies and gentlemen, please stay seated and remain calm. There are some problems with the tracks but we are working to getting the train moving again as soon as possible."

The passengers immediately began to whisper among themselves. The attendant went down the aisle, reassuring people. He got close to our seats when Ed stepped into the aisle.

"Excuse me." Ed called the attention of the attendant. He flashed his pocket watch, "Edward Elric, State Alchemist. What's the problem with the tracks?"

"A State Alchemist?" the attendant said as if he'd never seen one before. "Ah, there seems to have been a landslide. The tracks are blocked off."

"Let me take a look at it." Ed suggested and walked past him. The attendant followed his lead.

Al and I exchanged a glance. "Want to go watch?" he asked me. I nodded and out the train we went.

All I could see when we exited the car were small mountains. They lined the railroad and the town up ahead. There was a lot of damage done to the trees and land going up the side. At the end of the pathway of damage was a pile of rubble. When I say 'pile' I don't mean a little collection of rocks. No. This pile was larger than I was. It was filled with broken trees, massive rocks, and a lot of dirt. It completely covered the tracks.

There were some townspeople already working on the impediment and some of the train's crew helped as well. Ed was currently marching over to them. Oh, this would be good.

He talked to a couple of the people. I couldn't hear what he said to them but they listened. They then began pulling back away from the pile. I guessed that Ed planned on using alchemy but he didn't move forward. Instead, he scratched his head. He glanced over his shoulder, searching. He spotted us, Al and I, standing clear. Ed grinned, "Hey, Taylor! Could you come over here?"

"Uh-oh." I changed my mind. This was not going to be good at all. Trudging over to where he stood, I wondered what he could be up to.

"I want you to move this." he jabbed his thumb at the pile.

I stared at its massiveness, "You want _me _to?" Was he crazy? I mean, and I resented saying this but, I was tiny. I couldn't move something huge like that."

Ed nodded, "With alchemy."

"Oh." That made more sense. "Edward I-."

He interrupted me, "I want to see you use that special alchemy again."

I shook my head, trying hard to get out of this. "I told you, I don't know how to use alchemy. And as for last night, that was a fluke."

I don't think he believed me. He was convinced that I could. "Just try it. Do what you did last night." He pushed me over to the pile. I stared up at it. _Gulp._ I took a quick peek at Ed. He urged me on. I turned back to the pile. This was not going to work.

I knelt down on one knee, getting close to the rubble. Ed was watching me intently along with the rest of the crowd. No pressure! I mentally prepared myself. In my mind I went back to last night. Not to when Lust held me by the neck and I used alchemy on her. No, that was too gruesome. I tried thinking about when I created the wall. What I did exactly. How I had felt.

Desperate. I had felt so much desperation. But what had I done? I remembered throwing my hands to the ground and the red crackling energy had surrounded me. Was that it? Could it be that easy?

"Here goes nothing." I took a deep breath and thrust my hands outward…and all I accomplished was getting my hands dirty.

"Hm," I muttered, frustrated. Maybe I needed to hit it harder. I reared my arms back and smacked the dirt with all my might. "Humph!" …Ow! Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

Gaah! What was I suppose to do? Yell, "Alchemy, on!" I glared at my hands accusingly. _You were working yesterday._

I looked up to Ed. He still watched as if this was the most interesting thing he'd seen all week. I growled, "Happy now?" I got up and stomped back to the train before he could answer. That had went nowhere. I felt like a fool.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed got up, satisfied. He had successfully transmuted the large pile of rubble into two towering walls on either side of the track. The townspeople and crew stared in awe and actually applauded. There were a lot of 'Thank you.' and 'We couldn't have done it without you'. Ed was glad to be appreciated for once.

"Let's get this thing moving!" Ed gestured to the train. Taylor had stormed off and gone back on board and Al had followed shortly after. It had been a fascinating show. Ed had been so sure that she could do it. He had thought Taylor had been lying or was just being modest. But maybe she really couldn't do it.

Ed flashed back on last night. No, she could definitely do it. She just didn't know how apparently.

Ed boarded the train while the crew moved back to work. The train was already moving before he had reached their seats. Al looked up at Ed's arrival. Taylor ignored him, sitting with crossed legs and arms. Great, now she was mad at him. What was Ed to do?

He passed by Taylor and sat by the window once again. An uncomfortable silence loomed over them. Al kept shifting, but Ed wasn't going to let it get to him. If Taylor was going to ignore him, fine. Two could play that game. Ed swore he would not look at her or be the one to break the silence first.

But Ed's eyes betrayed him. They darted to the side to check on her. Taylor was still, gazing face forward. Her expression stayed determined. Suddenly, her eye moved to him and he flinched back to the window. Ed gazed through the glass without seeing anything. He waited a minute. Then he peeked at her again. She didn't seem to notice.

Ed went back to the window. This was ridiculous. But he couldn't help but look again.

Taylor had been waiting for him to look this time and was full out staring at him.

"Ack!" Ed let out. "What?"

"You keep looking at me." she commented.

"No I don't." Ed denied it.

"Yes you do. I watched you do it."

"So who's looking at who now?" Ed smirked.

Taylor blushed but was firm, "I simply noticed it. That's all."

"You were watching me watch you." Ed affirmed.

"Aha! So you admit that you were watching me!"

"No! I wasn't watching you."

"And I wasn't watching you."

They both turned away from each other. After a moment, Al inserted, "You were both watching each other." Both of them turned to him. Al shied away from their glares. "Just making an observation."

Ed shook his head, exasperated, "I don't get it. How can you perform alchemy like you did last night and not be able to do it today?

"I don't get it either." Taylor said, aggravated.

Ed was about to go on but he looked closer at Taylor. Her brows were furrowed and her mouth set tight. She was worried.

"It bothers you, doesn't it?" Ed guessed. "It's not just that you don't want to tell us. You really don't know."

Taylor shifted under Ed's gaze, "No, and believe me, I want to know as much as you do."

Ed scratched his head, "I suppose when we get to Resembool we could practice it more."

Taylor perked up, "You mean, you and Al will teach me how to use alchemy?"

"What do you say, Al? Want to teach the lady some alchemy?" Ed offered.

"Sure!" Al exclaimed.

"That settles is." Ed confirmed. "Taylor, from now on, Al and I will be you teachers."

"Really?" Taylor squeaked excitedly. "Wait, does that mean that I have to call you Teacher?"

Ed and Al shared a knowing look. "Nah." Ed said. "Reminds me way too much of our own teacher."

"Cool." Taylor bobbed her head. "Alchemy. I've always wanted to learn how to use it."

"Why haven't you tried before?" Al asked.

Taylor shrugged and looked away. "I don't know." she answered vaguely. The way she acted made Ed think there was more to it than that.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

It was the morning of day two of our fun filled travels and, let me tell you. I was tired of trains! All you did was sit there and do nothing. I do admit though, passing the time by chatting with the Elric brothers wasn't half bad. If only we didn't have to be stuck on a train!

We were at a train station. The morning was crisp and cloudy, casting shadows. We waited in the coolness for the train that was headed towards Resembool. The three of us had just got off our previous train and I was stretching my legs while the stretching was good.

The station didn't have that many people. Guess people in this part of the country decided to skip the train today. There was, however, a lady some benches down with a fuzzy kitten. Guess where Al was.

I was walking odd my stiff joints and watching Ed at the same time. He tried and failed miserably to tie his hair again and again. Before we had gotten off the train, Ed had been sleeping and his hair had come loose. Now he was trying to fix it.

"Need some help?" I finally asked him.

"No." he snapped, angry from his numerous failed attempts. "Stupid automail. Won't work right. Can't twist the stupid tie." He continued to finger the band and attempted to braid his hair. He kept grumbling and it progressively got worse.

"Honestly." I sighed, marching over to him. I snatched the band out of his hand.

"Hey!" he protested.

"Stop being stubborn!" I ordered him. I ran my fingers through his hair. Wow. I never imagined it would be this soft. So soft. So golden. I laid the hair sections on top of one another. Ed remained completely immobile. I don't even think he was breathing. Making sure his hair was tight enough, I finished up with the hair band. "Seriously, Edward. It wouldn't kill you to ask for help for once. You don't always have to do everything on your own."

Ed felt of the back of his hair, turning around as he did. He gazed at me, a question in his eyes.

Luckily, our train rolled in and people were beginning to board. "Come one, Ed. We've got a train to catch."

Ed simply nodded. For the first time since I met him, Ed was speechless.


	6. Chapter 6

**The highly anticipated sixth chapter! Yay! I've been so busy this week since its homecoming at my school. I had to march in the parade like a good little band geek and I totally rocked. I started shouting the song, _If You're Happy And You Know It_ during the middle of the parade. The crowd got a kick out of it. Taylor was band sweetheart. Anyways, its been a long week and I haven't worked much on the story. But its the weekend and I promised a new chapter. So this ones to all of my loyal readers. Eat your heart out.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Resembool**

(-Taylor-)

"Oh, wow." I uttered as we exited the station. We had finally arrived at Resembool. And it was more lovely than I had hoped.

"We're home." Al said. That one comment reminded me of when Al had told me about Resembool. Everything was just as he had described but when he had talked about Resembool there had been longing in his voice. He had explained Resembool, not as he had seen it the last time, but as he had felt it when he had had his body. The wind that blew towards us, lifting mine and Ed's hair, swam by Al without him being able to feel it. If he hadn't seen the breeze he would have never known it was there.

"Finally." Ed rolled his head to get a crick out of his neck. "I tell ya, the more I ride trains the less I like them."

_I second that, _I thought.

"But now we're almost there." Al said cheerfully. "And Taylor's going to get to meet Winry and Granny."

"I hope they have dinner ready." Ed looked off into the horizon where the sun had begun to set. "I'm starved."

Al laughed, "It's just like you to think of food first."

As we walked up the long trail, Ed and Al would wave or say hi to someone we passed. I guess in a town this small everyone knew each other. All the people we encountered were friendly. So this was the kind of place Ed and Al grew up. Of course, I already knew Resembool inside and out but it was completely different to see it firsthand. It seemed so peaceful. The kind of place where nothing could go wrong. But Ed and Al had their share of horrible experiences in this quiet town.

"There it is!" Al exclaimed. Up another hill loomed the Rockbell's house. The building was big and yellow. An big. I didn't expect it to be this big. I guess it had to be so that two people could live in it, run a business out of it, and hold all of the automail junk that was sure to be in there.

A large mound of fur lay in the front yard. The mound raised up at our advance.

"Hey, Den!" Al greeted the oversized critter. Den hopped up and padded over to us. He sniffed Al curiously as Al patted his head. The dog welcomed Ed home too. Then he stopped at me. I gazed down at the dog. I didn't expect Den to be so big either. Gaah! Was everything bigger in Amestris except Ed?

Den sniffed me suspiciously for a moment. After he had gotten my scent and decided I wasn't a threat, he sat back on his haunches. His tail began to wag. "Woof." Den barked and cocked his head to the side.

I couldn't take it. It was too darn cute. "Aw!" I sank down to my knees and rubbed his ears. Den gave me a quick lick on my hand to show his appreciation. Looking up I saw that Al and Ed were smiling down at me. I also saw something shiny flying towards us.

"Ed!" I warned.

Awareness flashed on his face but there wasn't enough time for him to dodge it. A wrench thunked him in the back of his head. "Yow!" Ed cried in pain, squatting down and holding his head.

"Brother!" Al leaned over him concerned.

Ed cursed and vowed, "Someone's gonna pay for that!"

"You idiot!" screeched a voice.

Winry stood on the balcony, hands on hips. She was clearly upset. "You messed up your automail again! How many times do I have to tell you to take care of it?"

Ed stood. Rubbing his head, he muttered, "I do take care of it, you gearhead."

"What did you say?" Winry shouted.

"Nothing." Ed called back but muttered 'gearhead' under his breath again.

Winry, full of rage, spun on her heel and went back inside. Someone was not a happy camper.

"That Winry's a force to be reckoned with." Al chuckled.

"But you've got to admit she does have good aim." I observed. I wondered if Winry had ever played softball.

Ed grumbled more profanity and stomped the rest of the way. Al glanced back at me, "Come on, Taylor." He started for the house as well.

I glanced down at the lone wrench. Hm… I picked it up and carried it with me.

Inside, Winry was already yelling at Ed. "–never even consider how much time goes into making the automail you take for granted."

"How do you know it's my fault?" Ed argued.

"It's always your fault!"

"Um…"

Everyone looked up at the interruption.

Ed sighed and introduced us, "Taylor, Winry. Winry, Taylor."

"This is the girl you mentioned on the phone, Alphonse?" Winry gazed at me.

Al nodded, "Yes. We're her bodyguards."

"Bodyguards, huh?" Winry gave me the once over, probably wondering what I needed guarding from. "Well, pleased to meet you." She extended her hand to shake.

"Um, I believe this is yours." I shyly placed Winry's wrench in her outstretched hand.

Ed's jaw dropped, "Traitor!"

Winry, pleasantly surprised, took the wrench, "Thank you. I like you already!"

"Hello. Welcome to our home." A voice greeted. I searched around for the voice's owner. Finally, I glanced down.

"Oh, hi." I said back. It was Pinako. Maybe there were some things in Amestris that were as small as they appeared on the show.

"It's not every day that Ed and Al bring someone home with them."

Ed muttered, "Maybe because I'm afraid Winry would eat them alive."

Winry reared the wrench back, threatening. Ed danced behind Al to use him as a shield.

"Anyway," Pinako went on, "my name is Pinako. Please make yourself at home while you're here."

"Thank you." I stammered.

"Alright, Ed." Winry said. "Let's get started on your arm."

"Nah." Ed waved. "I think I'll eat first before tha–.'

Winry cut him off, dragging him forcefully to the room I assumed they used for automail repairs. "Oh, no you don't."

"But food." Ed begged. "Come one, Al. Help me out here."

Al ignored his brother's pleas and waved bye. Winry and Ed disappeared through the doorway. Poor Ed.

"I suppose I'll get started on dinner then." Pinako said.

"I'll help." I offered.

"That's very kind of you." she accepted.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Stepping out of the shower, I dried off and slipped some clothes on. Winry had been nice enough to let me borrow some of her clothes. At first she wanted to lend me an outfit that I responded to with, "Don't you have anything less revealing?" She then handed me a long sleeved brown shirt that was very soft and a pair of black pants. It was great because I had brown boots to match the outfit.

While I shimmied into the clothes, I kept glancing at the mirror. The tattoos covered my body from the waist up. I guess I kept expecting them to fade but they stayed where they were. Had they appeared there when the Philosopher's Stone went into me?

The Philosopher's Stone… Could it be that the stone had caused that strange alchemy I had performed? That would explain why it had happened, but not how. What would Ed and Al do if they knew I had a Philosopher's Stone inside of me? Would they believe me? If they did would they want to use it? I didn't think they knew the secret ingredient for the stone yet. They would find out, one way or the other, that human beings went into creating the stone. And when they discovered that they wouldn't want to use it.

For now then, I would keep that information to myself. When they found out on their own, I would tell them about my stone. Maybe then, they could explain to me what it meant. But how long until they discovered the truth?

I walked out of the bathroom and into the dark hallway. It was late and I guessed everyone had gone to bed by now. Scratch that, Winry had her light on, probably working on Ed's arm. I went into the living room and found it empty. Yep, everyone else had gone to bed. I turned to go to the room that I was staying in, but I paused. _Was that a voice?_

There were faint voices coming from the front yard. Curious, I went to listen at the door. "…okay…Don't…go sometime before we leave." I heard Ed's voice as he came closer to the house. The door opened and he walked right into me.

"Umph!" I blurted, startled.

"Oh, sorry." he steadied me with his only arm. It was still weird seeing Ed with only one arm.

"It's okay." I said, righting myself.

Ed's brows furrowed as he stared at me. "Were you eavesdropping?"

"No." I hastily stammered. "I heard voices and came to check who it was."

"Oh." Ed said. He realized he was still touching me and let go.

"So," I tried to overcome the awkward moment. "Who were you talking to?"

"Al. He'll be back later." He didn't say where. Did Al go to their old burned house? Or to their mom's grave perhaps?

Recalling Ed's words from outside, I murmured, "Don't want to go see it yet, do you?"

"What?"

"Oh! It's nothing." I turned away. "I– I'll see you in the morning." I tried to escape to my room.

"Taylor." Ed called.

Crap! I turned back to him. "Yes?"

Ed tried to find the right words, but failed. "Nevermind.

"Alright." I made a quick getaway. Once in my room, I shut the door. "Whew!" I breathed. That had been a close call. But I wondered what Ed would have said if I had waited a little longer.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed stayed by the front door, watching the hall where Taylor had disappeared. Ed ran her words though his mind, _Don't want to go see it yet, do you?_ Did she know? Did she know that Ed was avoiding visiting his mom's grave? How could she? Him and Al had never said a word about their mom. And Taylor had never asked. Could it be that she didn't ask because she already knew? A regular person would have asked where their parents were, why they were staying at the Rockbell's instead of their own home. Did she know about their house too?

This was strange. She couldn't possibly know all of these things. But Ed had a feeling she did. He already knew she was hiding information. Was this a part of it? The way Taylor spoke sometimes, so familiar, as if she knew them before they'd met… It was unsettling, but fascinating. It was impossible for her to know such things, and yet, she seemed to know.

Ed wondered what else she knew.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

There was knocking. What was knocking?

I sat up in bed. Oh, it was the door.

"Yes?" I called, my voice groggy with sleep.

"We're going to start your first lesson soon." came Al's voice.

Lesson? Oh, yeah. Today I began my lessons in alchemy. "Okay."

"Breakfast is ready." Al spoke again.

"Okay. I'll be there in a second." I crawled out of bed optimistically. Breakfast and alchemy lessons. The day was off to a good start.

In the kitchen I found Pinako and Ed. Pinako washed her plate, said hi to me, and walked out. I guess she had things to do today. Ed sat at the table, halfway through his breakfast. Where was Al and Winry?

I grabbed a plate and sat across from Ed. From the way he was yawing I guessed he had just gotten up too. "Morning." he yawned, cramming a piece of toast in his mouth.

"Good morning." I said back, trying not to smile.

Winry walked into the room. "Good morning, Taylor. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

Winry, about to say something else, paused while looking over Ed's plate. "Edward." Ed winced at his name. "You forgot to get milk."

Ed turned away from her, "I hate that stuff."

"Why can't you be a normal person and drink milk? It's good for you."

"It's disgusting." Ed argued.

Winry sighed and looked to me. She noticed milk was absent for me as well. "You can have some milk, Taylor. Just because Ed refuses to drink it doesn't mean you can't have any."

"That's okay." I waved away her offer. "I can't drink milk."

"You can't" Winry asked, confused.

"I'm lactose intolerant." I explained.

"What's that?" Winry cocked her head.

That's right. I forgot I was in Amestris. Apparently they'd never heard of lactose intolerance. "When I drink milk it makes me sick."

Ed slammed his hand on the table, "I knew it! I knew it was poison! Here's my proof!"

Winry gazed at me considerately. "Milk makes you sick? Huh. Ed, where did you find this girl?"

With his outburst over, Ed went back to his food, "Near a train wreck."

Winry thought he was kidding, "Fine. Don't tell me." She went to snag a slice of toast from the counter. "I'm sorry that milk makes you sick, Taylor." she said with a bemused expression as she left.

"And I don't like the taste." I muttered after she was gone.

Ed nearly choked on his food from his sudden laughter. Al walked in and took one look at Ed. "Brother?"

"I'm fine." he cleared his throat, smiling. He glanced at me, still chuckling. Humor glittered deep in his eyes. I blushed and went back to my food.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"It starts with the transmutation circle." Al said as he sketched out a circle on the ground. We were beginning my lesson outside in the lovely sunshine. I like me some sun.

"All you have to do is visualize in your mind the separate elements and either bring them together or pull them apart." Ed explained. "Alchemy is basically construction and deconstruction."

"Right." I nodded, focusing hard on everything they told me. Unfortunately, they went on to say a lot of stuff that went way over my head. But I thought I got the gist of it. I kneeled down on the ground, listening to Al list all of the elements in the soil. And then some more confusing stuff. Man, all those days daydreaming in Chemistry were coming back to haunt me.

"Start out with something small." Ed chimed in.

"Okay." I said, determined. I placed my hands on the edge of the circle… And nothing happened.

"It didn't work." I said, disappointed.

"Don't worry. No one gets it their first try." Al comforted me.

"Though this isn't really your first try." said Ed.

"I can do this." I reassured myself. I was about to push up my sleeves, thought the better of it, and shook out my hands instead. Wouldn't want two certain alchemists getting an eyeful of my fancy tattoos. Breathing in and out, I calmed myself. _Visualize it,_ I thought fiercely. I placed my hands once more on the circle and willed the separate elements to come together. When it was complete the light died down. Left in the center was my masterpiece.

"I did it!" I cheered.

Ed leaned over and picked it up. He stared at it with a blank expression, "You made a rock."

"You said 'small'."

Ed shook his head and rolled his eyes, putting my creation back on the circle. "Now, try to separate the elements to the way they were."

"But I just made it." I whined.

"Remember, deconstruction is half of alchemy." Al reminded me.

"Fine." I grumbled. Once again, I touched the circle. Now that I had a feel for things it was easier. The rock disintegrated into dirt.

"Good job." Al congratulated me.

"Good bye, my rock." I said, tears thick in my voice.

Winry came out of the house, Pinako stepping out after her.

"Hey!" Ed yelled. "Are you done with my arm yet?"

Winry put her hands on her hips, "I swear Ed, your patience is as short as you are."

"I'M NOT SHORT!" Ed screamed at her.

She ignored him and spoke to Al, "Hey, Al. Could you go shopping with Grandma and me. We're going to need someone to carry all the goods."

"Sure." Al responded happily. He left with Pinako and Winry. Winry's last words were, "Don't break anything while we're gone Ed."

Ed fumed visibly. He muttered things under his breath. I couldn't hear him but I imagined they were bad things.

"You and Winry sure do fight a lot." I commented.

"Yeah, it's always like that." He was still seething in the direction they had left.

"You know, they say that if you fight a lot with someone you actually love them."

"Wha– What?" Ed sputtered. "I don't lo–, I don't lo–. I don't! You're not making any sense. You're delusional." He walked away, blushing a deep red.

"Hey." I called. "What about my lesson?"

"I'm going to get more materials to transmute." he nearly growled, not turning around.

I shook my head as he stomped away. I was too mischievous for my own good.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Two days later something interesting happened.

I was sitting outside under a tree studying one of the few books Ed and Al had managed to dig up. They were all on alchemy. And let me tell you, it was no walk in the park.

After a while all the words began to jumble together. I groaned and sat the book aside in the grass. "This is more complicated than I thought it would be." Den, who was lying next to me, barked in agreement.

My alchemy was getting better at least. Ed and Al had been amazed at my progress and were working hard to come up with lessons that would challenge me. Their fast pace had me struggling to keep up.

I pushed up my shirt sleeve. The tattoos were still there. I had pretty much given up on the hopes that they would fade. What were they for? What would happen if I tried to activate the circles on my body? Couldn't Truth have told me what they were for when he put the Philosopher's Stone in me?

I scrambled to my knees, scaring Den. _Why didn't I think of it before?_ I asked inwardly. I had seen the truth. It had been a frightening experience for me and I had repressed the memory as best as I could, but now the images came flooding back. What I had seen, the same thing Ed had seen, rushed through my mind. The knowledge of it enabled me to use alchemy _without _a transmutation circle.

I stood, ready to test my theory. I clapped my hands together and slammed them down. The blue light flashed and I was left with the plain chair I had intended to make.

My mouth hung open. I stared in awe at my hands. This may not have been what I had done the first time I had used alchemy but it was really cool all the same. Excitement burst out of me as I raced into the house.

Winry and Pinako were in the living room working on a piece of automail for one of their customers. Winry had finished Ed's arm long ago and had already moved on to another project.

"Where are they?" I asked them hurriedly.

Presuming I meant Ed and Al, Winry answered, "Al went for a walk a while ago. But I think Ed's in the kitchen."

_Again? _ I thought. Ed's stomach was limitless.

I shook my head. Couldn't get sidetracked.

"Ed!" I called, sliding into the kitchen.

"Yeah?" Ed responded, about to take a bite out of a gargantuan sized sandwich.

"I've got to show you something!" I grabbed him by the sleeve, dragging him out of his chair.

"But my sandwich!"

"Come one." I hurried him. I pulled him through the living room with Winry and Pinako giving us curious glances, and out the door to where I had been standing half a minute before. "Look what I did!"

Ed cocked his eyebrow, "Okay, so you made a chair. Whoop-de-doo."

"But I didn't use a circle. Watch." I clapped my hands together and repeated the process, only this time I deconstructed the chair.

Ed's eyes went wide with astonishment. "You made the circle within yourself."

I smiled. Then I realized what Ed was getting at. My smile wilted. How could I have been so careless? So stupid! In all my excitement I didn't even consider the consequences. After my little show, it was so easy for Ed to figure it out.

Ed said nothing but the thoughts were clear on his face. The shock had his body frozen while his mind raced. He didn't even move when Winry stepped out and hollered, "Ed!" Frowning, she shouted again, "Ed! Telephone. It's official military business."

"Alright." Ed managed to say. He started towards the house but couldn't look away from me. His face stayed stunned.

_Great, Taylor. You blew it._

* * *

><p><strong>I must apologize if I got Den wrong. I couldn't remember if Den was a boy or a girl so I just referred to him as a boy.<strong>

**I'm going to try my hardest to submit chapter seven sometime later today, cause its 2:11 A.M. right now and I need to go get some much needed sleep. But when I finally drag my self out of bed I'll start right on the next chapter.**

**One more thing. I'm loving the reviews. If you have any ideas for the story or something you want to see happen let me know. I'm open to suggestions. No guaranteeing I'll use them, but if they're too good to resist I'll try to work them in.**


	7. Chapter 7

**As promised, I have updated the seventh chapter. It's kinda short, sorry, but the next chapter I post will be longer.**

**I guess its time to tell you where in the show this is all taking place, because I am following the timeline of the show. This part where Ed and Al come to Resembool is towards the beginning of the show where Armstrong accompanies the brothers back home. As you've figured out this is different. Chapter 6 and 7 take the place of that event in the show. Also, I'm going by the first series, not Brotherhood. Even though I liked Brotherhood better its way more complicated.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

**Mission Impossible**

(-Ed-)

"Are you listening to me, Ed?"

"What?" Ed came out of his reverie. "Sorry."

"Anyway," Havoc went on, "Mustang's got a new mission for you. He wants you to go to Arcadia."

"What for?"

"We've uncovered some new information on Edgar Ronin. Rumors are that Arcadia was where he set up his main base of operation. Go there and find his lab."

"But I'm already on a mission." Ed protested, his thoughts straying to Taylor once again.

"You're guarding the girl from the train wreck, right? Just take her with you. All you're doing is looking for his lab."

"Alright." Ed agreed. "But why do I have to go?"

"Arcadia's a lot closer to you than any of us. But once you've found Ronin's lab give us a call and report your findings."

"Fine. I'll leave today then." Ed finished the conversation and hung up.

Arcadia. So there was still something salvageable of Ronin's research after all. Perhaps in Arcadia Ed and Al would find the Philosopher's Stone.

"Brother?" Al entered the room. "Winry said that you got a call from Central."

"Yeah." Ed nodded. "We've got a new mission. But I need to take care of something first."

"What?"

"Taylor."

"She's sitting outside." Al answered. "She seemed upset about something. Did something happen?"

"I'll say. She used alchemy without a transmutation circle."

Al's eyes widened, "Like before?"

"No. Like me. You know what that means."

Al did, but it surprised him. "Do you think she…?"

"Yeah." Ed answered. "Let's go talk to her."

They went outside. Taylor had been sitting under a tree but got up when she saw them. She held herself stiffly, nervous. She had a lot to be nervous about.

Ed came right out and said it, "You've seen the truth."

She averted her eyes and didn't even try to lie, "Yes."

"You performed human transmutation." Ed concluded.

"What?" Taylor reacted astonished.

"I get it." Ed continued. "I understand now why you didn't want to tell us."

Taylor stopped him, "No, no! You've got it all wrong. I never did human transmutation."

"You… didn't?" Ed asked, at a loss.

"No." she shook her head vehemently.

"Then how did you see the truth?" Al asked.

"I don't know."

Ed didn't believe her. "You don't have to lie."

Taylor became agitated, "I'm not lying. If I really performed human transmutation don't you think I'd be in worse condition?"

Ed looked over her body. She was right. Taylor had all of her parts. Ed was missing his leg because he saw the truth. Taylor had paid no toll.

"Then how?" Ed asked.

"I honestly don't know." she said, her tone almost defeated. "There was the white nothingness and the gate, then darkness. Then I was suddenly waking up near the train. I have no idea how I got there."

Ed and Al thought on it. Al finally asked, "Could that have something with the way you used alchemy the first time?"

Taylor shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe. I've tried to do it like that again but I can't."

"I've seen the truth but I can't do what you did." Ed admitted.

Taylor smiled and attempted a joke, "Maybe I'm more special than you."

Ed gazed at Taylor's face, that small smile on her lips. "You've known that Al and I performed human transmutation. All this time, you've known."

Taylor hesitated, then nodded.

"So you know that I'm…" Al's words trailed off.

Taylor nodded again, "A soul attached to a suit of armor."

Al gasped, "Had a feeling that you knew about me."

"Yeah." Taylor said.

Ed's eyes darkened, "You think we're fools, don't you. To attempt the taboo."

Taylor's expression became serious and thoughtful, "No, I think it's admirable."

"You what?" Ed couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You tried to bring someone back to life because you wanted them to be okay. You wanted to see them alive and well. All you wanted was to see them smile again."

"That's all we wanted." Al bowed his head sadly.

"You couldn't have known what would happen if you did it. All you knew was that you had to try."

"We were naïve." Ed spoke.

"But your reasons were admirable." Taylor said. "You may have lost your original bodies because of it but that hasn't stopped you. You guys are so strong, always holding that weight of the world on your shoulders when it would crush anyone else. You made a mistake, but who doesn't make mistakes? I make mistakes all the time. Who am I to judge you harshly because of yours?"

Ed's eyes widened as a wall inside him wavered. The barrier that he had built between himself and the world to protect himself, was pierced. Taylor pierced right though with her words, her acceptance. Maybe that's all Ed had ever wanted to hear, that someone could accept him and not blame him for his mistakes. Taylor had somehow found the words that Ed had always yearned for.

Ed turned around, lest Taylor should read the vulnerability in his eyes.

"Brother?" Al asked.

"We're leaving for Arcadia soon." Ed abruptly said. "Let's get ready and tell the others goodbye."

Ed walked away and didn't turn back. He couldn't face Taylor, not like this. But he promised himself that he would have to thank her later.

* * *

><p>(-Winry-)<p>

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Winry asked, peeved.

"I've got a new mission." Ed answered.

"But you just got here." Winry complained. Ed and Al never did stay long when they came home. It annoyed Winry greatly that they couldn't stay put for more than a couple of days.

"Duty calls." Ed shrugged calmly.

"So where are you going this time?"

Ed grinned mischievously, "Can't tell you. That's classified information."

"Classified information!" Winry screeched. "Wait a minute. You're going to Rush Valley aren't you? And you won't tell me because you know I'd want to go."

The smile stayed on Ed's face, "I don't know. Maybe."

Winry went for her wrench. Ed flinched.

Taylor jumped in between the two, attempting to calm them down, "That's not where we're going."

"The truth?" Winry asked skeptically.

"The truth." Taylor nodded earnestly.

"Fine then." Winry put up her wrench. "Thank you Taylor, for telling me the truth. Ed never does."

Taylor laughed once. Ed grumbled under his breath.

"Are you about to leave?" Pinako asked them.

"Yes." Al answered. "The sooner the better."

"Alright then. You kids be safe."

"And try not to break your automail again, Ed." Winry added.

"It wasn't my fault!" he yelled.

Winry shook her head and sighed. "Taylor, it was really nice meeting you. I hope we see each other again soon."

"I'd like that." Taylor agreed cheerfully.

"Come on guys. Let's get going." Ed said moodily. He walked towards the door. The others followed his lead and within the minute they were gone.

"We'll see them again, Winry." Pinako assured her granddaughter. "They always come back."

"I know." Winry nodded. "I'm just worried about Taylor. She's got a poor choice of bodyguards if you ask me."

"Edward and Alphonse are two very capable boys." Pinako said. "And as for Taylor, I think she'll end up surprising them."

"How so?"

"I see a strong spirited young woman in her. Who knows? Instead of Al and Ed looking after her, she'll be looking after them."

Winry smiled.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The ride to Arcadia was quiet and uneventful and a bit uncomfortable. Neither Ed or Al said much of anything. I wondered if my little speech earlier had made them mad at me. Ah, well. A girl could only try. At least the train ride wasn't very long.

Arcadia was bigger than Resembool, but by no means as large as Central. There were plenty of tall buildings, businesses and people hurrying along this afternoon.

"What's that?" I asked, shielding my eyes against the glare of the sun so I could view a large mass of land behind the town.

"The old mines." Al responded. "Arcadia used to be a mining town. But mines have been abandoned for years."

"Huh." I didn't ask why the townspeople didn't mine anymore. I figured the mines ran dry or something like that.

"Alright. Let's get started." Ed said.

"How are we suppose to find this Ronin guy's lab anyway?" I asked.

Ed answered, "We start by asking around."

So this is how the rest of the day went. We went from place to place questioning people. We went into restaurants, shops, you name it, asking if anyone knew Edgar Ronin. Had they seen him around? What places in town did he hang around? Problem was that no one had ever heard of him.

We walked out of yet another shop, Ed groaning, "I'm beginning to think the guys at Central sent me on a wild goosw chase."

"We'll find it. We've just got to keep trying." Al encouraged.

I was beginning to doubt it myself when I looked up at the sky. The nights held millions of stars that glittered down on us. They stretched towards the horizon, disappearing behind the mines.

"You guys. I think we're missing the obvious." I pointed at the mines.

"What about them?" Ed asked, bored.

"They've been abandoned for years." I explained. "No one goes up there and it's so obvious we didn't even consider it until now."

"What are you getting at?"

"The mines. The lab is in the mines." I spelled it out for him.

"That would be the perfect place for Ronin to do his research in secrecy." Al agreed.

Ed smiled, pleased, "I am so glad that you tagged along with us, Taylor."

"Tagged along?" I scoffed. "I'm forced to go wherever you guys go. I have no choice."

"But you've never complained about it." Ed smirked.

"True." I gave him that much.

Grinning, Ed said, "Let's go check out the mines."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Didn't think it would be this dark." I stared into the mouth of the cave. The moonlight disappeared a couple of feet into the tunnel.

"It is a mine." Ed stated, looking down the tunnel as well.

"Let's go see what's inside." I suggested.

"But shouldn't we call Central first?" Al asked anxiously.

"Nah, I'm with Taylor on this." Ed said. "Besides, we don't even know if the lab is here or not. Better check it out and see for ourselves." Ed began to walk into the mine.

"But, Brother." Al protested.

"Come on, Al." I said, going in after Ed. Reluctantly, Al followed too.

And everything went down hill from there.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey party peoples! I feel so tired but I took the time to update the eight chapter, cause, you know, I'm nice like that.**

**The name of this chapter is a shout out to Taylor since she loves Alice In Wonderland.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Down the Rabbit Hole**

(-Taylor-)

"Be careful." Al warned. "Some spots in here might not be stable."

"Which spots?" I asked sarcastically, looking around warily. This place was _old_. And I could see this because Ed had the forethought to transmute a lantern. Its light created a hew of yellow around us.

"How much deeper do we have to go?" Ed grumbled.

"Well, it's a secret lab, right? So if Ronin was careful he would have set it up in the deepest part of the mine. But if he was arrogant it'll probably be closer to the entrance." I reasoned.

"So which one was he?" Ed asked.

"I don't know." I retorted. "It doesn't exactly say it on his Facebook page."

"What?" Ed stopped walking to stare at me in the dim lighting.

"Nothing." I shook my head. But with the mention of Facebook I was sad. I hadn't changed my status in a week.

Ed gave me a strange look but resumed walking.

"Maybe we should turn back." Al proposed nervously. "What if the tunnel caves in?"

"Jeesh, Al. Relax." Ed told him. "Everything's going to be fine."

Looking back on it now, I blame Ed for what happened next. He should not have said that.

My foot caught on something and I stumbled into the wall. But there was practically no wall. It was a section where rocks were being held together to make it appear solid. So my body went right into them and out the other side. And down the rabbit hole I went.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed heard the movement of rocks and spun around in time to see Taylor fall down an opening. Large rocks fell down after her.

"Taylor!" Ed shouted, dropping the lantern and rushing forward.

"Ed!" Al warned, grabbing Ed and dragging him back before the whole ceiling collapsed on them. They fell back together, inches away from the rubble.

Ed struggled up, "Taylor!" He prepared to clap his hands.

"You can't!" Al cautioned him.

"We have to get to her!" Ed argued.

"If you transmute the rocks you could bring the rest of the ceiling down."

"How else are we going to get to her?" Ed asked impatiently.

"We find another way." Al spoke calmly.

Ed looked away from his brother. He was right. Ed knew it. But still, while they were searching for another way Taylor could…

"Fine." Ed said regretfully. "Let's hurry." He picked the lantern up and they jogged down the tunnel. _Some bodyguards we turned out to be_, Ed thought.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

_It's official. I'm stuck_

My foot was trapped by a large slab of rock. I tried to pull my foot out but that didn't work. I tried pushing at the rock but it wouldn't budge an inch.

"Hello!" I called for help again. "Ed! Al!" …Nothing.

"Grr!" I growled, pushing uselessly. This was frustrating! True, I should be grateful that I wasn't dead but I wasn't in a very optimistic mood. As it was, I had bruises all over my body. It was so dark that I couldn't see them, but trust me, I could _feel_ them.

"What the heck am I suppose to do?" I cried, aggravated.

Then an idea came to me and I felt like an idiot.

"Duh." I clapped my hands together and touched the rock. It disintegrated under my hands.

"Aha!" I stood up, unhindered. Now what? I was still separated from the others.

I began to feel my way around. I found the wall and, being careful, started moving forward. There was more than one entrance to the mine. I was bound to run into one sooner than later. Or, if I was really luck, I'd find Ed and Al.

Minutes passed and, let me tell you, they were not pleasant. Do you know how scary it is wandering in an unstable mine, alone, and in total darkness? It's terrifying! I would be jumping at my own shadow if I could see it.

Some time passed and I thought I was seeing things. Could that be a light up ahead? Couldn't be. There were no lights in an abandoned mine. Unless… Could it be the guys? Or a way out maybe? didn't care. I'd choose either right about now. Speeding up my pace, I headed for the light.

When I got closer I realized the light was coming from an opening in the side of the tunnel. Shadows passed in front of the light. There were voices.

I froze. I recognized those voices, and neither one of them were Ed's or Al's.

"Can we just burn the place out already?" Envy's voice asked.

"Not until we've went through everything. There may be something salvageable." a voice that sounded eerily like Trisha Elric.

Ahh! What were the homunculi doing here?

I must have made a sound because Sloth asked, "What was that?"

I attempted to sneak away, but Envy came out. "Hey!"

Busted! I ran full out back down the tunnel. But I never had a chance.

Water floated up in front of me and I screeched to a halt. The water sculpted the form of a woman. Sloth stood in front of me. I was so focused on her that I had forgotten about Envy. He kicked my feet out from under me.

"Ughn!" I rolled onto my back and scooted away from them. Too soon, my back hit the wall.

"Who are you?" Envy asked.

"I'm nobody." I answered. If they realized I was a sacrifice what would they do to me?

"Nobody, huh?" Envy laughed. "I guess no one will miss you then if I kill you."

I tried to get away but he grabbed me. He pulled me up by my shirt to look me in the face. "Now-," Envy cut off. He noticed my tattoos, which were visible on my shoulder and below my neck.

"What is it, Envy?" Sloth asked, sensing Envy's hesitation.

"This is the girl Lust told us about. The sacrifice." Envy spoke.

Crap! Couldn't I ever catch a break?

Envy then smiled, "If you're here then that must mean the Fullmetal Pipsqueak and his tin can brother are here too."

"We need to find them before they find Ronin's research." Sloth said.

"Alright. Let's go." Envy ordered and dragged away.

They took me to a large room and tied me up. While Sloth tightened the rope on my wrists, I asked, "What are you planning to with me?"

"Stay quiet." she commanded and stood. She glanced at Envy and he nodded. He bounded off down the tunnel. "Be a good girl now." Sloth told me and followed Envy at a more leisurely pace.

"Great! Just freaking great!" I seethed through clenched teeth. How was I going to get out of this one? I couldn't even clap my hands together to make the inner circle.

I know what you're thinking. Why didn't I try to fight back more? Why did I allow them to tie me up? The answer was simple. I didn't want to die! Even Ed and Al would have trouble fighting two homunculus at once. I didn't possess an ounce of experience in hand-to-hand combat and my alchemy was nowhere as good as the Elrics'. I stood no chance on my own.

So there I was. In the floor. Tied up. A pathetic disgrace to women everywhere. Wishing for men to hurry up and save me.

"RAWGH!" a growl came from nowhere.

What the fudge was that?

The growl sounded again and the wall near me shuddered. It appeared as if something were banging against the rock from the other side. And whatever was knocking sounded big. I momentarily wondered if it would go away if I shouted, "No one's home."

The banging continued until the floor beneath me began to tremble.

_Bang! Bang! Bang!_

With every hit it got louder and more cracks stretched across the wall. Whatever it was, it was strong.

_Bang! Bang! BANG!_

That last bang sent pieces of the wall flying. A cloud of dirt filled the room and I coughed. Pieces of the rock pelted me. One piece that landed within reaching distance looked extremely sharp.

_Score!_ I thought. I snagged the shard and concentrated on freeing myself before I got eaten.

_Sigh_. Where were bodyguards when you needed them?

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed and Al were hurrying through a series of tunnels when a figure appeared. Both of them stopped dead in their tracks.

"Taylor?" Al gasped.

"Hey guys." Taylor walked over to them with a smile.

"Are you okay?" Ed asked, looking her over.

She nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine." She didn't even have a scratch on her from the fall.

"We were worried." Al told her.

"You shouldn't have." Taylor waved. "I can take care of myself."

"Obviously." Ed nodded, relieved that she was alive and well.

"Taylor glanced around herself, shifting her weight, "So, what now?"

"I guess we keep searching for Ronin's lab." Ed suggested. They began walking the way Taylor had come from.

"What are we going to do when we find it?" Taylor asked curiously.

"Go through his research some. Then report back to Central." Ed said.

"Why don't we just burn it." Taylor proposed.

"What?" Ed asked, wondering where that had come from.

"Ronin was a bad man. His research was bad too. We should just burn it all and leave." Taylor reasoned.

"We can't do that." Al said, a little panicked. "We're suppose to locate it and report back to Central."

"Yeah," Ed agreed. "Plus, Ronin was working on the Philosopher's Stone. I want to see just how far he got in creating it."

Taylor didn't seem to be listening to them. "I still say we burn it. Not very morale of us using research gained by human experimentation."

Ed stopped. "We never told you he used humans in his experiments."

Taylor smiled slyly, "Very good, Pipsqueak!" She jumped into the air while simultaneously changing form and kicked Ed backwards.

Ed landed hard and grunted, "Envy?" Ed was shocked. What was a homunculus doing here? And where was Taylor?

Envy went running down the tunnel.

"After him!" Ed ordered. Ed and Al raced after the homunculus. They ran down the tunnel, searching for their only lead to finding Taylor.

A minute later Ed and Al halted. Envy was simply standing in the middle of the tunnel.

"Where's Taylor?" Ed demanded.

"Aw, worried about you're little girlfriend?" Envy laughed.

"If you've hurt her…" Ed threatened.

"We'll hurt you." Al finished for him.

"Oh, I'm so scared." Envy laughed again.

Past Envy, Ed swore he saw a person running away. Could it be Taylor? Or another homunculus?

"Al." Ed got his attention. "Can I leave this to you?"

Al assumed a fighting stance, "Yes."

That was all the encouragement Ed needed. If Al said he could handle it then Ed believed him.

Ed darted past Envy.

"Where do you think you're-," Envy was about to stop him but got slammed by Al.

That gave Ed his chance to chase the figure he had seen.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I actually managed to cut the rope before the dust had settled. I was in the process of standing up when I got a clear view of the thing.

It stepped out of the giant hole in the wall. It was a horrible sight. The creature had too many limbs, some of them hung limp from its sides and back. There were patches of fur on it and places that looked like raw skin. It had a thick, heavy tail and, oh… It had two and a half heads.

That's right, two and a half. One seemed animal like, though I have no idea what kind. It was the more dominant face. The other head was, Oh God, human! The last head was only half formed on the thing's shoulder, a useless jaw and part of a nose.

The creature searched for me with its nose before it used its eyes. It caught my scent and whipped towards me.

I panicked. I scrambled for the tunnel that led out of here. The creature was faster than I would have thought possible. I moved with great agility for its large size and blocked my path.

I stopped and turned around at the same time but my momentum sent me to the ground. I struggled to even crawl away but the creature wasn't having that. It bit me with sharp fangs in my left shoulder. I screamed bloody murder and was suddenly airborne. My body thanked against the hard stone floor. The pain went away for a few brief seconds as shock took its place. But too soon I could feel my shoulder again. I wasn't sure but I thought it was broken.

Gripping my bleeding shoulder, I rolled over and sat up to face the creature. It was coming fast with hunger in its many eyes.

It pounced on me and I was flattened. My arms and legs were pressed uselessly under its weight. The creature roared back its ugly head and prepared to bite mine off.

I screamed so loudly it hurt my ears. But I didn't care. I was about to die, and I was terrified.

A red crackling energy engulfed the beast and it roared. The ground beneath us shifted and pierced the creature from many sides, efficiently trapping it.

Gasping, I shimmied out from under the shuddering creature. It was bleeding all over from the pieces of ground that speared its body. It couldn't get away but that didn't matter. The damaged was done and it was dying.

When the animal head quieted down, the human face spoke. Its eyes were intelligent as it said, "Thank you." The beast moved no more.

I stared in horror at its dead body. Ronin had created a chimera using both animal and human specimens. Not only that, the person was completely aware while it was trapped in the body collage. And I had killed him. I had killed a human being and he had _thanked _me.

The blood was pouring profusely out of my shoulder. My arm was limp but I could feel the injuries. If I had never gotten this injury I would probably be dead. After all, my blood had saved me.

I recalled the previous time I had used this alchemy, when I had first come to Amestris. I had been bleeding then too. Blood was the key. My blood held the power of the Philosopher's Stone inside of me. I finally knew the answer. And I didn't like it one bit.

"Taylor!"

I glanced up to find Ed standing in the entrance. His eyes were wide as he glanced from me to the chimera. I think he realized what it was.

He ran over to me, kneeling down. He touched my good shoulder. "You're hurt. What happened?"

I shook my head, tears overflowing from my eyes, "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."

Ed gazed at me sadly and took me in his arms. I cried into his chest and he let me. He held me tightly while being careful of my injuries.

"No, I'm sorry." Ed apologized. "I should have been with you."

"It's just like Nina." I blurted.

Ed stiffened and pulled back, "What did you just say?"

A large segment of the ceiling came crashing down nearby and then the whole place began to shake.

Ed focused on his priorities first, "We've got to get out of here before everything caves in,: He helped me up and we progressed into the tunnel with me clinging to him to keep my balance. All around us dirt and pebbles seeped down. Any second and we could be flattened.

"Brother!" Al's voice called from the dark. He clanked over to us. "You found Taylor!"

"Yeah." Ed nodded. "What happened to Envy?"

"He escaped as soon as the mine began to shake. I'm sorry I didn't go after him. I was concerned about you."

"That's fine." Ed said. "Right now we need to find a way out of-."

The ceiling collapsed asunder behind Al, causing us to jump back.

"That was close." Ed gasped.

"Ed!" Al shouted.

Ed and I turned around to see the tunnel falling in behind us as well. It was fast approaching.

"We're trapped!" Al realized.

_Or not,_ I thought, an idea forming in my mind.

I pushed away from Ed and fell to the ground.

"Taylor!" Ed said.

"You guys stay near me." I told them, praying this would work. With my own blood slick on my hand I pressed down on the floor as the ceiling collapsed over us.

The red crackling energy lit the confined space and suspended the rocks above us. Ed and Al were shocked. "Taylor." Ed breathed.

But I wasn't done yet. Using my Philosopher's Stone I took all the rock fragments around us and formed them together. They molded and created a sphere around us, so tightly compacted that it was as tough as steel.

I pushed the energy downward in a sharp burst and that thrusted the sphere up. I could feel the earth as it made way for us, Up and up we went until we were out of the mine. The sphere crumbled and we toppled out on solid ground.

The sounds of the mine caving in could be heard but we were safe. The air was fresh and the light of the stars and moon was so bright. We were alive.

"That was amazing!" Al exclaimed, getting up.

"Thanks." I panted, standing up as well. I got about halfway before my legs gave out. I laid on the ground, the world spinning with stars.

"Taylor!" Ed and Al rushed over to me. They leaned over me anxiously.

The blood coursing through my veins was burning and my shoulder felt like it was on fire. "It hurts." I whimpered and promptly passed out

* * *

><p><strong>If you haven't figured it out before this chapter, now you finally know why the title of this story is <em>The Blood Alchemist<em>.**

**I'll try to update as soon as tomorrow so stay tuned folks!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hazah! ...**

**This chapter was originally two chapters but I combined them since they were short. When I was writing on it weeks ago with pencil and paper I lost one of the pages. I totally freaked out. I managed to rewrite the page and continued writing. Then two days later I found the missing page in my bedroom. I felt stupid.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

**The Girl With The Alchemy Tattoos**

(-Ed-)

It was dark on the hospital room. The curtains were drawn wide to let the moonlight in. Its light created shadows over the floor, the walls, and the objects in the room.

Ed sat by the window, watching over Taylor. She lay resting in the patient bed, breathing deeply in and out. After she had passed out, Ed and Al had brought her to the local hospital. She had been hurt, Ed knew it, but when the doctor examined her he had said there were no injuries to speak of. There was blood, her blood, covering her shirt, but Taylor's body had healed.

Nevertheless, Taylor had gotten hurt because Ed hadn't been with her like he was suppose to. Ed hated that. She was his responsibility and he had failed her.

When they had come back to town, Ed had called Mustang. But all he got was Havoc telling him that Mustang and his lieutenant were already on their way here and would arrive within the night. It was suspicious but Ed let it slide for now. Al had gone to wait for them at the station but Ed stayed behind. He couldn't bring himself to leave her side.

Taylor's words ran through his mind for the hundredth time. _It's just like Nina._ Yes, the chimera had been similar to what had happened to Nina. Nina had been transmuted with an animal, then died. But it was impossible for Taylor to know this, yet she did.

Stranger still, Taylor had performed alchemy with no circle, not even an inner one. Just like the first time. Did this mean she had figured out how to use it? Did this have something to do with her miraculous healing abilities?

Taylor stirred, mumbling incoherently.

"Taylor?" Ed whispered. She moved again, though not in reaction to Ed's voice. She was still asleep, dreaming. From the looks of it, the dream was a bad one.

Ed got out of his chair and went over to her bed. Taylor was frowning, eyes shut tight with brows furrowed. She whimpered and turned.

"Taylor." Ed sat on the bed beside her and touched her arm. "Taylor, wake up."

Taylor fought to. Her hands were clenched and she squirmed on the bed. "No. Stop. No!" Her eyes snapped open and she lurched forward. "No!" she struggled against Ed in fear.

"Taylor, it's me." Ed worked to calm her.

She ceased movement, recognizing his voice. "Edward?" she asked in a small whisper.

"Yeah, I'm here." he answered softly.

She sighed in relief, still gripping his coat tightly. Ed traded his coat for his flesh hand and pushed her long hair away with his other.

"Where are we?" she asked, searching around the dark room.

"We're in Arcadia's hospital. You're safe now."

"What about Al?" she noticed his absence.

"He's waiting at the station for Colonel Mustang. They'll be here sometime tonight to check out what's left of the mine."

That reminded Taylor of something and she gripped Ed's hand tighter. "Homunculus. They were there in the mine."

"Yeah, we saw Envy." Ed said. "Wait, you make it sound as if there were more than him."

Taylor nodded, "There was a woman."

"Lust?" Ed asked.

"No, someone else."

"Huh. That must have been who I saw." The figure Ed had chased after was another one of the homunculi. But where had she run off to? Where had she and Envy gone? Why were they there in the first place?

Taylor glanced down at herself. She let go of Ed and touched her shoulder.

"You're healed." Ed said what she just realized. "But what I want to know is how."

She let her hands fall to her lap, "I'm not really sure."

"Taylor." Ed looked her in the eyes intently. "I want you to tell me something and I want the truth."

Taylor showed no signs that she would answer but she waited for him to ask.

"How did you know about Nina?"

Taylor looked away, not responding. Her breath sped up and her eyes closed.

Ed took her hand again. "Please tell me." he begged.

Ed was afraid that she wouldn't tell him, or worse, lie. But she didn't. She made the decision to tell him. Her eyes were bright with intensity as she spoke. "I'm from the other side."

"The other side of Amestris?" Ed questioned, confused. What did that have anything to do with this?

"No, Edward. The other side of the gate."

Oh.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I did it. The thing I said I wouldn't do, I did it. I told him, and now the cat was out of the bag. But I had to. I couldn't stare into those pleading, golden eyes of his and lie. No. I had to do it. Right? Yes. No?

Regardless of whether I should or shouldn't have, it was done. And Ed was staring at me like I had sprouted wings.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." I apologized, not knowing what else to say. Ed still watched me, mouth open in shock.

After an agonizing amount of time waiting for him to say something, he did. "Were you afraid I wouldn't believe you?"

"I shook my head sadly, "No. I was afraid that you would."

Ed looked at me as if he saw something new and wonderful, "The other side of the gate. What's it like over there?"

Just like Ed, to be curious. I shrugged, "Not that different, and yet, entirely different from this place."

"I have so many questions." Ed smiled excitedly. But then the smile faded around the edges. "How does that explain why you know things that shouldn't be possible?"

"There's no easy way to explain it." I began smoothing a section of my hair, needing something to keep my hands busy. "Actually, I don't think I can explain it at all. This much I can tell you though. I knew about this place before I came here. I knew about Amestris and I knew about you."

Ed asked carefully, "What all do you know about me?"

"Well," I began. "You grew up in Resembool with your brother and mom mostly, since your dad left early on. Too soon, your mom got sick and passed away. Afterwards, you swore to bring her back to life. So you and Al found an alchemy teacher by the name of Izumi Curtis and trained under her. When you completed your training, you and Al went home to Resembool to try to bring your mother back. But things didn't go as planned. Al lost his body. You lost an arm and a leg. A year later you became a State Alchemist at only twelve years old. Ever since then you and Al have been searching for the Philosopher's Stone in order to return your bodies back to normal."

Ed's mouth gaped open, "That's my life in a nutshell. You really do know everything about me."

"Yep." I said. "I think I know you better than you know yourself."

"Ya know, that's kinda creepy." he admitted.

I giggled. I couldn't help it. I laughed and couldn't seem to stop. Ed got in on it too, laughing at me laughing.

"Alright," Ed said, trying to stop his laughter. "How did you pass through the gate."

My laughter died down. I didn't want to talk about that. I couldn't tell Ed that I had found a Philosopher's Stone. But maybe I could tell him about the circle. Better yet I could show him.

"I want to show you something." I reached to pull my shirt off.

Ed's eyes widened and he freaked out, "No! I'm sure I shouldn't see it! I mean, I'm sure it's nice and all, but I shouldn't!" He misunderstood me, going to cover his eyes. Nevertheless he was a guy so it was a half hearted attempt.

I pulled the long-sleeved shirt off and was left in a tank top.

"Oh." Ed realized I wasn't getting naked after all. Then he noticed my arms and shoulders and leaned forward to inspect them. I held my arms out for his viewing. He touched them, twisting them to see all of the tattoos.

"I came across an old transmutation circle." I explained. "It somehow became activated and I went through the gate. These tattoos have been on me ever since then. They're just like the circle that brought me here."

"These circles," Ed breathed, "they're very similar to human transmutation circles. But I've never seen anything like this."

"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.

Ed shook his head, at a loss, "I have no idea. Are there more circles?"

"Um, under my shirt."

"Oh," Ed's eyes strayed down for a second.

"Did you need to see them?" I asked, blushing furiously.

Ed's face went red and he quickly let me go, "That's okay. You don't have to."

I stared at my arm, tracing the tattoos, "I keep wondering what they're for, what would happen if they were activated."

"Would you go back through the gate?" Ed asked.

"Maybe." I stopped rubbing my arm and just gripped it. "Or something worse could happen. I don't even want to try. The last time I passed through the gate it was…"

"Terrifying." Ed supplied the word. "Trust me, I know how you feel. I remember it clearly even though it was years ago." He looked away, obviously thinking about the night him and Al attempted human transmutation.

"Ed, you can't blame yourself for what happen. I know that you do and you shouldn't."

"How can you say that when it's my fault that Al no longer has a real body?"

"Because _he _doesn't." I answered. "Believe it or not, Al doesn't hate you. You're the person he looks up to most. Lots of people look up to you, Ed."

Ed gazed at me. He listened to my words as if they were the most important thing he'd ever heard. Then he asked, "What about you? Do you look up to me?"

I smiled, "I kinda have to. You're taller than me."

Ed barked a laugh and grinned at me, "You know, I can count on one hand how many people have told me that."

He continued to stare at me. His mouth twitched as if he wanted to tell me something, but wasn't sure if he should or not.

"What is it?" I asked.

Ed exhaled and said, "Thank you."

I blinked, "For what?"

"For what you said in Resembool."

"Oh," I smiled. "Don't mention it."

There was a knock on the door. Both of us looked up in unison. Ed pushed off of the bed and went to answer. He cracked the door open and whispered to someone. I think it was Alphonse. Ed went ahead and stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

And now I was left wondering what was going on.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Colonel Mustang." Ed greeted his superior formally. He was there along with Lieutenant Hawkeye and Al.

"Fullmetal." Mustang addressed him. "You've outdone yourself this time. You've discovered and destroyed Ronin's lab in a single night."

Ed's eye twitched. Mustang always knew how to push his buttons. "It was not my fault. The homunculi were there."

"Alphonse filled me in on the way here. What he didn't tell me was why they were there."

"Beats me." Ed shrugged. "They could have been there because of us. Or they were snooping around Ronin's research."

"They were at the train." Al commented. "I think they were in the mines tonight because of Ronin as well. It's too big of a coincidence not to link the two events."

`"Were you able to uncover anything from his research?" Mustang asked them.

"About that," Ed began. "The mine collapsed before we could find anything of use."

Mustang cocked an eyebrow, "Then how can you be sure Ronin's lab was even there?"

'Because I saw a chimera. Both animal and humans went into making it." Ed remembered the moment he came into the room with the dead chimera and Taylor. Ed wasn't going to mention that part though.

"I see." Mustang said. Then he changed the subject. "How is the girl?"

Ed looked at the door as if he could see through it. "She's fine now."

"Are you sure?" Mustang challenged. "This is the second time in one week that she's been admitted to a hospital. If you can't handle this mission I can assign someone else. Someone more capable."

Ed instinctively wanted to yell and argue with Mustang. But Ed knew he wouldn't win that way. He had to stay calm and rational. Otherwise, he would lose Taylor. "I swear, if you leave Taylor with me I will protect her with my life. I won't let her be harmed again."

Amusement glittered in Mustang's eyes, "Very well then. Speaking of Taylor, have you found out anything more about her?"

"Uh," Of course Ed had! But he couldn't tell Mustang that Taylor was from the other side of the gate. "No, she still says she can't remember."

Mustang showed no sign that he doubted him. But you never knew with Mustang. He possessed the ultimate poker face. "Alright. When she is discharged I want all if you to go back to Central. We'll finish investigating here."

Ed's intuition flickered. Something was up. "Why are you here exactly?"

Mustang smirked, "I'll tell you when I return to Central. Lieutenant, we're leaving."

"Yes, sir." Hawkeye responded. She dutifully followed the Colonel.

Ed glared in their direction, "That Mustang. Always being cryptic."

"How's Taylor? Is she awake?" Al asked.

Ed gave up the glaring with a sigh, "Yeah, she's perfectly fine now. Oh, and you're not going to believe what she told me." He went on to enlighten his brother. Telling Al this was okay. Telling Mustang was not.

"Incredible!" Al said excited. "I knew there was something different her. That's amazing."

"Amazing." Ed repeated. "That's the word."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Yay, another train ride." I said sarcastically as I sat beside Ed, who had snagged the window seat yet again.

Ah, well. At least my shirt was clean. Before we had left I had washed the blood out of it and, using alchemy, made it dry super fast. I even fixed the tear in the shoulder. Alchemy was nifty.

It would take us about a day to get back to Central. Maybe we'd be there by tomorrow night, since it was still dark out now. Ugh, I was tired.

"Why are we going back to Central?" I asked.

Ed answered gloomily, "Mustang wants us to wait there until him and his lieutenant get back."

"Lieutenant Hawkeye is a strong woman. Always keeping Mustang in line." I commented.

"Yeah." Ed said, looking out the window and not really paying attention. "Wait!" he sat up straight. "How would you know? You've never met her."

I shrugged and smiled, the picture of innocence. Ed groaned and slumped back into the seat, "You're gonna be a real handful, aren't you?"

"Is it true that you're from the other side of the gate?" Al asked abruptly.

I raised my eyebrow at Ed, "You told him?"

Ed smiled cockily, "Better him than Mustang."

I grimaced. That was true. "Yes, Al. I'm from the other side."

"And you know all about us, right?" Al went on.

"Yes."

Al shocked me by asking, "Do you know if we'll get our bodies back?"

"Get real, Al. It's not like she can tell the future." Ed rolled his eyes. But then he stopped and stared at me in wonder. "Or can you?"

"Um, I know about a lot of things, yes." I began reasonably. "But only you can decide your future."

Al seemed disappointed. Ed just looked… I don't know. He gave me a curious look and turned back to the window.

If I could only tell them what was to come it would be so mush easier. It would save them a world of grief. But then I'd change everything, for the worse, more than likely. My being here was already interfering with their lives.

But, as Truth said, I was here to make things more interesting.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The sun filtered through Ed's eyelids, waking him up. He blinked, confused. _When had it become daytime?_

Ed's eyes darted around to find Al staring at him. Al laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Ed asked, annoyed. His voice was thick with sleep.

Al pointed to the space beside him. Ed looked down to his left and found a certain someone curled up beside him. Taylor was fast asleep, head resting on his shoulder.

"Oh." Ed breathed. Now that he saw her he could definitely _feel_ her. She was a solid warmth against his side.

Al laughed again.

"Shut up." Ed whispered. "You'll wake her up."

Al shook his head but remained silent.

Ed glanced back down at Taylor. He made no move to push her away. In fact, He rather like having her there. And Ed couldn't help the smile that enveloped his face.

* * *

><p>(-Mustang-)<p>

"Never thought I'd be coming here." Mustang murmured under his breath. He watched the small house, imprinting the image of it in his mind.

"Sir." Hawkeye said.

Mustang nodded, "Let's go in." They went and knocked on the door.

It took a minute, but the door opened. A fragilely thin woman stood in the doorway. "Yes?"

"My name is Colonel Roy Mustang. This is Lieutenant Hawkeye. May we speak with you?"

Her eyes widened, "The military? What does the military want with me?"

"I'm here to talk to you about Doctor Marcoh." Mustang answered. "I know that you're his cousin, Mallory Valmer."

"I don't know what you're talking about." she insisted unconvincingly.

"Ms. Valmer. We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. All I want is to find him. You can help me do that."

She eyed him warily, "You don't know do you? He died a couple of days ago."

"Died? How?" Mustang asked, shocked.

"Murdered. Now if that's all then please leave." She coldly slammed the door in his face.

"This changes things." Hawkeye commented.

"Yes." Mustang agreed.

* * *

><p><strong>Hm, what's going on there? Don't you just love cliffhangers?<strong>

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter so I hope you enjoyed reading it. Things start to pick up in the next chapter so check back in soon. I'll try to update more this weekend but if I don't I will first thing next weekend.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, I had more free time on my hands than I thought I would, so I've updated a new chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

**Say Hello To My Little Friend!**

(-Taylor-)

We arrived at Central earlier than expected. It was the middle of the afternoon and I was overjoyed to be off a stupid train! After you've ridden in one train, you've ridden in them all.

I was also embarrassed. For a while there on the train I had been sleeping on Ed. I slept _on _Ed! When I had woken up and realized this I immediately returned to my side of the seat. But Ed had acted completely okay with it, like he hadn't minded my sleeping on him. Oh, and yes, Edward Elric made a comfortable pillow.

"What should we do now?" Al asked.

"Hm…" Ed thought about it. "I know! Let's take Taylor to the library.

"Library?" I responded.

"Yeah. As in the National Central Library. There are lots of books on alchemy there we can show you to resume your training."

"Sweet." I said half heartily. I mean, don't get me wrong, learning about alchemy was cool and all. It was just so dang hard.

"Ed and I have spent a lot of time there. Haven't we, Brother?" said Al.

"Yep. I know that place like the back of my hand."

We were close to the library when I noticed it. Most people around than when we left the station. I don't know if this area was always busy like this but my instincts told me that something wasn't right.

"Are there always this many people?" I asked.

"No." Al answered, confirming my suspicions.

The three of us rounded a corner.

!

"What happened?" Ed asked, appalled.

The National Central Library was in ruins. There were people swarming the place. Onlookers got as close as they could to see the show. Military soldiers were searching the rubble.

Instantly I knew what had happened. Lust, searching for Doctor Marcoh's notes, ran into Scar in the Library. They fought, causing… _this_.

"Excuse me." Ed caught the attention of an officer. "What happened here?"

"Not sure yet." the man answered. Then he realized who Ed was, a State Alchemist, and explained in more detail. "This happened late last night. And it was no accident."

"Someone did this on purpose?"

"Yes, though we don't know why. We haven't found the perpetrator either." the man said and went back to work.

"Hey guys." They looked at me. I decided to go out on a limb. "Have either of you heard of a man named Marcoh?"

They glanced at each other and both of them shook their heads. "Doesn't ring a bell. Why?" Ed asked.

"Uh, just wondering." What was going on? Ed and Al were supposed to meet Doctor Marcoh before the Library incident. They were supposed to look for Marcoh's notes, discover them burned beyond repair, and seek out Sheska to replace them. But they weren't looking for the notes. They hadn't even heard of Marcoh.

Events were changing. Was it because I was here? Had I changed the timeline that much? No. I couldn't have. They were meant to meet Marcoh way before I showed up… Right? Please tell me this wasn't my fault.

"Let's leave." I suggested, wanting to get away from here.

Ed and Al exchanged a look. "Okay." Ed said. They didn't ask any more questions, and for that I was grateful.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The three of them walked quietly through the streets of Central. Ed wanted to ask Taylor what was wrong and who in the world was Marcoh, but for some reason he didn't.

Together, Ed and Al gave Taylor the grand tour of Central. Taylor seemed both genuinely interested and distracted. What was bugging her? What was it about the library that made her act this way?

They were taking a back alley when Taylor ceased walking. Ed and Al stopped too. Ed was surprised to see shock and fear mixed in her expression.

"What is it, Taylor?" Ed asked seriously.

She didn't answer. She continued staring farther into the alley.

Ed followed her gaze and picked out a figure in the shadows. A man stepped out, revealing his face. He had white hair and his forehead bore an X shaped scar.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

No way. This could not be happening. It just couldn't be!

My body may have been absolutely still but inside I was freaking out. _What was Scar doing here?_

"You're that guy from the library I saw years ago." Ed recognized him.

Scar examined Ed up and down. "I see you're a State Alchemist. I was relieved years ago when you quit. But now you're one of them again."

"What's it to you?" Ed asked, not liking the tone in Scar's voice.

"Now I must kill you." Scare answered.

Ed and Al didn't know what was coming and were unprepared. But I knew and I was ready for it. In a blur of motion I clapped my hands together and thrust them to the ground. A mass of earth shifted up, shielding Ed. It protected him but couldn't halt Scar's attack. Scar obliterated the wall. Chunks of it went flying away from his hand. It was magnificent and something to be feared.

The three of us jumped back as one.

"Don't let him touch you." I warned them.

"What? Why?" Ed asked.

"Trust me. If he touches you, you're dead."

Scar stepped past the ruined wall and spoke to me, "You are another alchemist. But you're not one of the state. Stay out of my way or I'll destroy you as well."

Scar rushed forward. Ed transmuted the side of the building to plow into him, but Scar dodged it. Scar, his hand outstretched, went in for the kill.

Al threw himself in front of him, causing Scar to grab Al's arm. When there was no reaction, Scar moved back. "Out of my way, or you shall suffer the same fate."

"Why are you trying to kill Ed?" Al demanded. "He didn't do anything to you."

"He's a State Alchemist. And State Alchemists must pay for their crimes against God." Scar answered.

"So you must be the guy going around murdering State Alchemists." Ed deduced. :And now you want a piece of me." Ed created a long spear from the ground. "Al, get Taylor out of here."

"I can't leave you here to fight him alone." Al protested.

"And I'm not leaving either." I put in.

"Then you'll all die." Scar said.

Ed ran forward, wielding his spear. Scar pivoted left and right, avoiding each thrust of the weapon. Al came in from the left and attacked Scar but he didn't falter. He defended against both of them expertly.

What did I do? I stood on the sidelines. I wasn't going to rush into the fight. Nuh-uh. That would be stupid because Scar would kill me in two seconds flat. Even so, I refused to run away. I wasn't going to leave Ed and Al.

Ed stabbed upward when Scar went low. There was no time for Ed to move. Scar's hand snaked out and caught Ed's right arm. Sparks flew and the fabric shredded.

Al soared in and landed a kick to Scar's side. Scar went flying back.

"Brother?" Al asked, concerned.

"I'm fine." Ed said

"But how?" Scar asked, outraged. "I connected with your arm."

Ed held up his automail with a smirk.

Understanding came to Scar. "The Fullmetal Alchemist. The name suits you. Next time I strike it won't help you."

Scar attacked Ed, breaking his spear. Ed stumbled and was about to receive the full brunt of Scar's attack when Al darted between them. The blow shattered Al's arm, surprising him.

I acted quickly. I made my inner circle and concentrated. Thinking about the sphere I created in the mines, I did the same to Scar. Only this time, it was to trap instead of protect. The ground covered Scar from all sides. _I did it!_

"Al." Ed said.

"I'll be okay." Al assured him.

"Nice work, Taylor." Ed congratulated me.

No sooner than he finished speaking, Scar burst from the sphere. He went straight for Al and planted his hand on Al's thigh, Al's leg ripped off from there and he toppled over.

"Al!" Ed shouted.

Scar didn't stop there. He went to finish the job. Ed jumped into the air and went to kick Scar's head. Scar grabbed his leg before it made contact. Lucky for Ed it was with Scar's other arm. Scar threw Ed into the wall.

Clapping my hands, I sent a mass of earth into Scar. He destroyed it easily and was suddenly in front of me.

Wide eyed, I looked up into Scar's face. Next he would grab my by the head and use his arm to make it erupt into bloody pieces. I saw my death, gazing into those unforgiving red eyes.

Scar was knocked forcefully over. Ed scrambled back, "Taylor! Run!"

I didn't get a chance to respond. Scar lunged into Ed, sending him into the wall of the building. Ed was trapped as Scar reared back. Ed ducked down as Scar's palm collided with the wall in an explosion of rock. A shard of rock zipped past my face, cutting it. I touched my cheek and came away with blood.

"Die!" Scar shot his hand down where Ed lay helpless below him.

"No!" I screamed, grabbing Scar's arm before it could reach Ed.

The following seconds were disorienting.

Where my bloody hand made contact with Scar's a reaction occurred. Red crackling energy coursed over our bodies, causing us to jerk back. The energy remained all over my body but only on Scar's arm. It was scalding.

Gripping his arm, Scar turned tail and ran. This vaguely reminded me of when Doctor Marcoh comes to Ed's aid and throws his red stone at Scar. Scar absorbs the stone into his arm, his reaction exactly as what happened now.

The red energy faded around me, but I could still feel it. There was this burning sensation all over my body. I wanted to cry but I made the effort not to.

"Taylor, are you alright?" Ed asked, getting up and walking towards me.

"I'm fine." I managed through gritted teeth. "Go help Al."

Ed stopped walking and glanced back at Al. He was a useless pile of heap, unable to stand with his broken shell. Ed turned back to me, about to say something.

"Really. I'm okay." I lied. "Go help Al."

He hesitated but nodded. He jogged over to Al's broken pieces.

I turned my back to them while Ed fixed Al. Every time my blood pulsed it was a sharp pain. My skin felt like it should be sizzling from the heat. I lifted up my sleeve carefully to view my arm.

"Oh, God!" I whispered. My tattoos were glowing red. It was just like when I found the Philosopher's Stone and the transmutation circle shined the same red hue. What was happening to me?

"Taylor." Ed's voice came to me. With my peripheral vision, I saw his hand reaching for me.

"Don't touch me!" I shouted, flinching away from him.

My words might as well have been a slap to the face. The hurt in Ed's eyes was palpable. His hand hung in the air towards me.

The guilt was immediate. I had panicked and screamed at Ed. But he didn't realize that I said it not because I didn't want him to touch me but because I was afraid that something would happen. What if he touched me and that contact opened the portal? What if it happened anyway? The possibilities were overwhelming me with fear.

I tried my best to convey this to him, "Something bad might happen." I lifted my sleeve to show him.

Ed's eyes widened with understanding, "Why are they red?"

"I don't know." I brushed the sleeve back in place. "It just happened when I touched Scar." A whimper escaped my lips.

"Are you in pain?" Al asked from behind Ed. He was standing on his own now, thanks to the patch job by his brother.

"I'll be find." I avoided his question. Neither of them believed me.

"How bad is it?" Al asked.

I shook my head, "I'll manage." I breathed in and out, deep calming breaths. The fire on my skin ebbed some. I peeked at my arm again. Thankfully, the red was fading back to black. "See? I'm alri-."

My legs gave out and I dropped to the ground on my knees. The world became fuzzy around the edges and I thought I would lose my lunch. I closed my eyes, grounding myself.

Al's echoing voice came through after a minute of my ears ringing, "Maybe we should take her to the hospital."

"No, no hospital." I rejected the idea immediately. "I do not want to go to another hospital. I'm tired of waking up in them."

I opened my eyes. They were leaning over me but were heeding my advice and not trying to touch me.

"Is there something we can do?" asked Ed.

Smiling sweetly at him, I said, "Yes. Stop making me have to save your sorry butts."

Ed laughed, "You're obviously feeling better. Can you stand?"

I thought about it. My skin was no longer on fire and the dizziness was gone. "Yes, with some help."

Reaching out my hands, they each took one and pulled me up. It was too fast and I swayed. They caught me before I could fall over.

"We've got you." Ed told me.

I smiled, telling them, "And I've got you."

* * *

><p><strong>If you didn't catch it, the name of this chapter was a reference to <em>Scarface<em>. Can you get why I named it that?**

**Please review! It makes me want to write more when I get good reviews! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay. So I couldn't resist updating another chapter. It's just that I love this chapter so much. It's so dang fluffy! So read and enjoy the fluff.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

**Bunnies**

(-Ed-)

Ed, Al, and Taylor arrived at Central Headquarters just as Mustang and Hawkeye did. With peasantries aside, Ed was now in Mustang's office. Alphonse and Taylor were waiting patiently out in the hall.

Ed had quickly told the Colonel about their run in with Scar.

"There have been sightings of him all over Central." Mustang commented. "There are even reports of him being at the scene at the time of the incident at the National Central Library." Mustang reached for his phone and had a quick conversation with whomever he called. He asked for two people to come to his office.

"Now then," he said, getting back to Ed. "I'm sure you're wondering about Arcadia."

"Yes." Ed had been curious ever since they left.

"Shortly after you left for Arcadia I uncovered some information about Ronin. Edgar Ronin was just an alias. His real name was Joseph Draden. Draden used to be a State Alchemist but it was believed he died in the was in Ishval."

"You're kidding." Ed said, fascinated.

Mustang shook his head solemnly. "Draden was suspected of using humans in his experiments but no one could prove it. The military was about to launch a full scale investigation when Draden faked his death in Ishval. Joseph Draden was the apprentice of a Doctor Marcoh, a deserter from the war."

That name, Marcoh. Taylor had mentioned a Marcoh at the library. Was he the same guy?

"Marcoh had a close cousin living in Arcadia. I went to pay her a visit in order to locate Marcoh and see if he was connected to Draden's recent activities. But I learned Marcoh was murdered days ago."

"Murdered?" Ed wondered if Taylor knew anything about this.

There was a knock on the door, interrupting their conversation.

"Enter." Mustang commanded.

Two officers, a man and a woman, came into the office.

"Ed, I'd like you to meet Maria Ross and Denny Brosh. They will be your bodyguards."

"Bodyguards?" Ed stared at Mustang, alarmed. "What do I need bodyguards for?"

Mustang shook his head in dismay, "Have you forgotten already that you were attacked by a serial killer?"

Oh, Actually, Ed had. But that was besides the point. "I don't need bodyguards."

"Scar almost killed you today." Mustang reminded him, letting his anger show through his voice. "The last thing I need on my plate right now is another dead State Alchemist. Ross and Brosh will be your bodyguards. That's final."

Ed wasn't going to get any leeway on this one. If he pressed the issue he would just end up making Mustang furious. So, unwillingly, Ed was going to have to accept this.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Al and I were waiting patiently in the hall when two familiar officers went into Mustang's office.

"I wonder what's going on." Al said when the door closed back.

I smiled, "Ed's getting bodyguards."

"How did you…" Al began to ask but shook his head. He realized it was pointless to ask. "Why would Ed be getting bodyguards?" he asked instead.

"To protect him from Scar."

The door opened again and out walked a dismal Ed and his new bodyguards. "You guys are never going to believe what just happened."

I hopped up, "You got bodyguards?"

Ed gave me a startled look but, just like Al, let it slide. "Yeah."

"I have to say, its pretty sad when my bodyguard needs bodyguards."

We made introductions with the officers and we left for the dormitories. Maybe I didn't fully comprehend it yet but later on I was sure to find Ross and Brosh's shadowing our every move overbearing.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The dorm room was on the small side but we all fit comfortably. Ross and Brosh were standing guard outside in the hall while Ed, Al, and I were in here.

No sooner than when we all sat down, Ed demanded, "Spill it, Taylor."

"Spill what?" I honestly had no idea what he meant.

Ed told us about his chat with Mustang. "Why did you ask about Marcoh?" he finished up with the question.

Thinking on my feet, I replied, "I knew about Doctor Marcoh. I was just wondering if you guys had met him." I kept myself composed but underneath I was brimming with questions. Why hadn't Ed and Al ever met Marcoh? Who murdered him? Was it the homunculi? That's what happened in the series. Lust kills Marcoh after forcing him to reveal where his research was. Lust later goes to the library to find his notes but is thwarted by Scar. The end result was what we saw today. But was that what happened in real life?

The realization of this situation hit me. If Ed and Al never met Marcoh then they'd never know about his notes. Subsequently, they wouldn't discover how the Philosopher's Stone is created. This would mess up the whole timeline.

Ed interrupted my thought, "You're thinking awfully hard about this."

I waved my hands and scrambled my words, "No, I'm- what I mean is- I'm not- oh…" I finally decided to say, "I think I have to tell you guys something."

I went on to explain, "Doctor Marcoh was researching the Philosopher's Stone."

The boys took that well. They demended to hear more, Al asking, "Did he ever create one?"

"Um, yes, sort of."

"How can it be 'sort of'?" Ed questioned me. "Did he create one or not?"

"No. But he created incomplete versions of it. They were used in the Ishval rebellion before the doctor went AWOL. He deserted his post because he couldn't stand to see people die by his invention."

"The Ishval rebellion?" Al repeated, making sure he heard right.

"Uh-huh." I confirmed.

"So he never learned how to make a real Philosopher's Stone." Ed concluded, regretful.

"That's the thing. Though Doctor Marcoh never created one he found out how to make one."

Ed and Al jumped at that. "How do you make one?" they both asked excitedly.

"I don't know." I said truthfully. "But Marcoh wrote his findings down on his notes."

"And where are these notes?" Ed asked.

"The National Central Library, 1st Branch. But it's destroyed now."

Ed groaned, "Figures."

"Is that everything?" Al asked me, desperation in his voice. "Have you told us everything?"

I crossed my arms and bowed my head in thought. Should I tell them?

"Taylor?" Ed asked. "Is there something else?"

I clenched my teeth. "Let me think about it." I stood and began to walk away.

"Where are you going?" Ed asked me.

"I'm going to take a shower. I'll be back in a few." Then I left the room.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed tapped his foot, watching the movement. "What is she hiding?"

Al consoled him, "I'm sure if it's important she'll tell us."

"And what if it is and she doesn't?"

"Then there must be a good reason that she wouldn't tell us." Al always did believe the best in people.

"She's known this from the beginning." Ed said, frustrated. "She knew those notes were there and yet she waits until after they're destroyed to tell us about them."

"Brother," Al began. "You're not saying that she's untrustworthy, are you? She's our friend."

"I'm not saying that. I'm just suspicious is all. If she's hid this from us what else is she hiding?" Ed continued to tap his foot, considering the many possibilities.

"You know, we would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for Taylor." Al commented.

Ed stopped tapping. "I know. Maybe Mustang's right. Ugh, that's something I thought I'd never say."

"What about?"

"Maybe someone else should be guarding Taylor." Ed hated to say it but it was true. This was the second time Ed had failed as her bodyguard. What use was he if he couldn't protect her?

Al laughed, in spite of it all, "Who are you going to leave her with? Major Armstrong?"

Ed grimaced, "That would be cruel."

Al's demeanor changed as he asked, "You aren't seriously considering resigning from this mission, are you?"

Ed slumped further into his chair, blowing out a gust of breath, "I don't know. It was just a thought."

"Well stop thinking about it then!" Al nearly shouted at him.

Al sat up, surprised, "What?"

"You can't keep doubting yourself, Brother. And if you're not committed to this mission then all you're going to do is fail."

Ed absorbed how determined he was. "You're absolutely right.

"I agree."

Ed and Al looked up in surprise. Taylor stood in the doorway of the bathroom, hair still damp. Ed hadn't even noticed the noise of the shower was gone. He wondered how much of their conversation she had heard.

"I don't want another bodyguard, Ed." Taylor stated. "And it really annoys me that you didn't even ask me about it before you thought about quitting."

"But today…" Ed trailed off.

"Today was different. In fact, there's a lot of things that are different. But that's besides the point. It's my opinion that matters. And I want you, Ed. Not someone else. You. I think you're capable, more than capable of being my bodyguard. Why can't you?"

It was words like these that affected him so much. Taylor's belief in him. Her absolute faith, was unshakable, even if Ed's was. It made him admire her that much more.

Ed couldn't speak but he nodded. Taylor, taking that as a sign, nodded as well. She sat down in a chair and sighed, "I know I've been keeping things from you guys and I apologize for that. But this is such a new and confusing experience for me, being here. And if I say or do the wrong thing people could die."

"You're serious." Ed said.

Taylor nodded solemnly, "I am. Things have already changed since I got here. If I mess up then things might go bad. I didn't tell you about Doctor Marcoh and his notes before now because you were suppose to meet him and find out on your own."

"We were suppose to meet him?" Al questioned. "Does that mean you really can tell the future?"

Taylor shook her head and tried to explain, "Not exactly. How do I put this? I know of certain events that were meant to take place. Like when you guys tried to bring your mother back or when Ed became a State Alchemist. But ever since I got here things have been changing. For instance: Joseph Draden. I've never heard of him. Also, you never met Doctor Marcoh."

An idea occurred to Ed. He felt ridiculous but he had to ask. "The other side of the gate… Is that the future?"

Taylor didn't laugh at least. "No. It's like an alternate dimension. It's- gosh, this is hard to explain." She rubbed her temple tiredly. "All I can say is I know what I know. Yes, it's weird, but that's the way it is."

Ed was sill absorbing this when Al said, "Thank you for telling us this."

His thanks was not what Taylor had expected, "Oh, you're welcome. It's the least I could do for everything you guys have done for me." She paused and went on, "There is one more things I need to tell you, about the library."

"What is it?" Al asked.

"There's a librarian who worked there. Her name's Sheska. She's read Marcoh's notes and can tell you everything he wrote in them."

"Where does she live?" Ed jumped up, ready to go.

Taylor gave him a look of annoyance, "I don't know. I'm not an address book. Go ask someone who works at the library. They can tell you."

Ed went for the door but his plans were crushed by a stern couple of officers. They told him he was restricted to the dormitories until light tomorrow. Ed could find no way through them and was, irritatingly, forced to stay put.

"How can they expect me to stay here when the secret to the Philosopher's Stone is in this city somewhere?" Ed was so close he could almost taste it.

"Settle down. She'll still be there tomorrow. It's not going to kill you to wait one night." Taylor tried to calm him.

"How would you-," Ed broke off in mid sentence. He was going to say 'How would you know?' but Ed got to thinking. Maybe she did know. Maybe she comprehended better than anyone how agonizing it was to wait even one night for this. The suffering him and especially Al had endured for years.

Taylor said they would make it through the night. So Ed stopped complaining and believed her.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

There was a minor problem with the bedroom: there was only one bed. Ed and I were fighting over it but not in the way you'd think.

"I'll take the floor." Ed offered.

"That's alright. You can take the bed."

"I'm not going to make you take the floor." Ed said as if that were outrageous.

"Why, cause I'm a girl?" I asked.

Ed made a face and instantly said, "No." But, of course, that was exactly what he was thinking.

"Look, just because I'm a girl doesn't mean I'm fragile. For your information girls are as durable as guys are." I spouted angrily.

"I didn't say any of that!" Ed replied. "I was just trying to be a gentleman and give you the bed."

"Cause I'm a girl." I repeated.

"Arg, that's not what I meant!" Ed was practically pulling his hair out. "I was just trying to be polite and you're getting angry because of it."

"And I'm trying to be polite." I retorted.

"And you don't have to. I'll take the floor. You can have the bed."

"But I want to be." I argued. "You may have the bed and I will take the floor."

"I'll take the floor." Ed persisted firmly.

"Grr!" I growled in frustration. "Why don't we just _share_ the bed?"

That threw Ed for a loop. "Wha- What?"

"It's big enough." I reasoned. "And either you sleep on the bed with me or I'll sleep on the floor."

Ed was too shocked by my proposal to do anything but consider it. His brows furrowed as he thought about it seriously.

"Okay." he surrendered, a little unsure.

"What?" Now it was my turn to be surprised.

"You're right. The bed's big enough. We can share it." Ed gestured to the bed.

"But I was bluffing." I squeaked.

Ed pointed a finger at me and laughed, "Oh, no. You're not getting out of this. You're the one who suggested it."

"Fine then." I threw up my hands and marched to the side of the bed. I laid down facing outward, crossed my arms tightly, and closed my eyes.

I'm not sure how Ed reacted because I refused to open my eyes. I don't think he really expected me to get in the bed. He waited a minute and then came over to the other side of the bed. I tracked his movement by the sound of his footsteps. He lowered himself gently on the bed as not to jostle it.

I peeked over my shoulder. All I saw was his golden braid of hair and his back. He was closer than I thought.

Quickly, I turned back to the wall. My heart rate sped up and I struggled to breathe normally. _Just forget he's there and go to sleep_, I told myself…Wait. I had Edward Elric on the same bed with me and I was trying to go to sleep? Why was I not taking advantage of this situation?

_Don't think about it. Just think about something else._ I searched my mind for something, anything else. _Bunnies! Just think about bunnies._

…How did Ed feel about this? What was he thinking about? Well, he definitely wasn't thinking about bunnies, that's for sure.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed tried to remain calm and not think about the girl that lay right behind him. _Just think about alchemy. Think about alchemy._

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

After ten minutes I was still nowhere near sleep. You'd think it would be easy, what with the stressful day I'd had. But no. I was still awake. And thoughts of bunnies were not helping.

"Taylor?" Ed spoke softly.

Eeek! He was awake too. What should I do? Should I pretend to be asleep? No, I couldn't. I wasn't that good a pretender.

"…Yeah?" I answered tentatively.

"Tell me about the other side." I could tell by his voice that he was dying to know.

It wouldn't hurt to tell him, would it? I mean, as long as I left out the part about my Philosopher's Stone, it was okay. I hoped.

"Well, for starters, there's no alchemy." I began.

The bed moved, probably because he turned to look at me, "You're kidding. No alchemy? Is that why you've never tried it before?"

"Yeah."

"No alchemy." Ed pondered. "Really?"

"None. On my side, the science of physics instead of alchemy has developed. Our technological advances are, uh, advanced."

"What's that like?" he asked.

"It's great. We never have to ride trains because we have transportation that gets us there faster, like planes."

"What's a plane?"

I smiled and glanced over my shoulder. Ed had turned over to face me and his expression was intrigued. I decided to roll over as well to talk to him. Besides, my body was getting stiff from laying in the same position for so long.

Trying my best to ignore how close he was, I explained, "Planes are enormous. They can hold a lot of people and they fly in the air."

Ed narrowed his eyes, "Now I know you're lying."

"Seriously." I grinned. "They have metal wings on either side and they have giant engines or motors or whatever to power them and get them up and flying. I can't really go into a lot of detail, since I have no idea how a plane is made. But people fly on planes everyday where I come from. They're about ten times faster than trains."

"Amazing." Ed breathed. "Except for the no alchemy it already sounds better than this side."

"There are things better on this side than mine." I told him. "For instance: automail. We don't have anything that can compare with that."

Ed laughed, "If Winry went there she'd die."

"I think the rest of it would make up for that."

So I told him. I explained to him all the things that were different on my side. He had a never ending supply of questions for me. His eyes shined with every new thing he learned.

"Do you miss it?" he asked me.

This question surprised me. It was more personnel than the others. "I- I haven't really thought about it. But now that you mention it… Yeah, I do."

What had happened after I had come here? Did time on my side simply stop? Surely not. And what about Mom and Joeli?

"I miss my mom and sister." I admitted.

"What about your father?" he asked curiously.

I smiled, "I guess you could say we have more in common than our hatred for milk. My dad walked out on my family a while back."

"Just like mined." Ed concluded.

I had my eyes closed. I didn't remember closing them. Somehow, talking to Ed was pushing me towards sleep. I had to fight to stay awake.

"I wonder if they know I'm gone." I went on. "Are they looking for me? Do they miss me?"

"Of course they miss you."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked teasingly. But really, I wanted to know.

"Because I know you." Ed answered simply. "And if you were gone I'd…"

'You'd what?"

Ed finished, saying, "I would miss you."

I smiled, my eyes still closed, "I'd miss you too, Edward." A minute of silence later, I asked, "Hey, Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"We're friends, right?"

I didn't know what his expression was but his voice held amusement, "Right." After a short period of time I heard, "Taylor?"

I blinked, "Wha-?" I hadn't been aware of it but Ed had been telling me something before he said my name. "Sorry. You're voice is making me sleepy."

Ed chuckled, "Does my voice sound that boring to you?"

"No." I said, my eyes sliding closed. I couldn't keep them open. "Your voice isn't boring. It's…nice…soothing."

I began to drift off to sleep. My eyes may have been shut but, somehow, I knew Ed was smiling sweetly at me.

* * *

><p><strong>Awww. I loves it! XD Taylor said that if this really happened to her she would totally take advantage of the situation.<strong>

**I know there probably was more than one bed but I just had to put this in. I got the idea from Taylor when she said, "Me and Ed should fight over the bed." And then I jsut had to write it. I hope you liked it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello my furry friends! I'm sorry this chapter's a little late. Didn't have internet access until right now.**

**This chapter was...interesting to write. I like it so I hope you will too.**

**Also, Taylor wanted me to tell everyone hi.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

**Notes**

(-Taylor-)

I was so warm and comfy. I snuggled more into the blanket and sighed.

…Wait a minute. I had gone to sleep on top of the covers. Not under them. So what was I snuggling into?

I blinked my eyes rapidly. "Oh." I whispered. It was Ed. His arm was wrapped over me and I was snuggling into his chest. His body moved slightly with his deep breaths. He was fast asleep.

Um… Should I move? What if I did and that woke him? Maybe I should stay right where I was. After all, I was quite comfortable. But what if he woke up and didn't like being this close. What if he did? Either way, it was sure to be embarrassing.

Sighing, I made the choice to get out of bed. The only problem was actually _getting out_ of beg. I was trapped. I tried to slide gently out of his embrace but he held me tighter.

_Maybe I should stay,_ I thought. It was too much of a hassle to leave. Plus, Edward smelled wonderful.

_No, I should get up,_ I thought regretfully. Again, I attempted to get up but Ed was stronger than he looked. I began to push more forcefully against him but that had hardly any effect on him.

"Ed." I said, getting annoyed. He didn't budge. Dang, guys slept hard.

"Ed." I tried again. He moved this time, his hand grabbing a very inappropriate area.

I squeaked and slammed against him. I pushed so forcefully that he fell onto the floor. He flopped on the floor and was jarred awake. "What's going on?" He sat up, searching for what had pushed him off the bed. His eyes found me. "Did you–?"

Ed was interrupted when Al opened the door, "What happened?"

I got off the bed and turned my back to Ed. Walking past Al, I stormed into the living room.

"What happened?" Al asked again.

Twisting in his direction, I said angrily, "What happened? Ed got a case of Roman hands and Russian fingers. That's what happened!"

Al's metaphorical eyebrow raised, "Um, what does that mean?"

"It means," I whispered furiously, lest Ed overhear me, "Ed's hands were touching me in places they shouldn't have been."

Al could not have been more appalled, "He didn't!"

"What?" Ed asked, wide-eyed. He scrambled up from the floor, looking back and forth between Al and me with an oblivious expression.

"Don't act so innocent!" I blew up at him. "You know what you did."

I plopped down on the couch and attempted to ignore him.

"What did I do?" Ed asked, desperate for an answer. He looked to Al, who turned away.

"You're on your own on this one, Brother."

Ed stepped over to me, "Um, Taylor. Whatever I did I apologize."

"Yeah, yeah." I huffed. "Forget about it. Let's just go meet Sheska already."

With nothing more to say about Ed's groping issues, we got ready to leave. I kept up my ignoring of Edward and he was going crazy trying to figure out what he had done to make me mad. I think Al just found the whole thing funny.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

First, we went to the National Central Library. Lots of people were still there working hard to clean up the mess. One of the workers there told us where we could find Sheska's home and we went. And by 'we' I meant Ed, Al, Ross, Brosh, and myself. No matter where Ed went they were determined to follow.

When Ed knocked on Sheska's door he received no answer. He tried again but still there was none.

"Maybe no one's home." Al thought.

Ed, determined, banged harder on the wood. "I didn't come all this way for nothing. Hello? Anyone there?"

There was a muffled voice that came from inside.

"Did you hear that?" Al asked.

The voice called out again and I swear it was a woman's.

"I definitely heard it that time." Ed said and opened the unlocked door.

"What are you doing?" Ross asked, astonished. "You can't just go inside uninvited."

The door swung inward and we got a view of the inside. There were piles of books everywhere. They towered so high they nearly touched the ceiling. Somewhere in these stacks of books, we would find Sheska.

The voice sounded again and this time there was a distinctive, "Help!"

"That sounds like an invitation to me." Ed went into the house. The rest of us followed suit.

I looked around the various books. There were so many! I liked to read but not this much. Where did Sheska get the money to afford all of these?

"Talk about taking your work home with you." Ed commented.

"Help!" the voice cried.

"She's trapped under the books." I told them.

Into the books we dove, spanning out, searching. Eventually, Brosh yelled, "Over here!"

Digging through a mound of books, we pulled out a disheveled Sheska. "Thank you!" she panted. "I've been stuck in there for days."

If you've see the show then you know what happened for the rest of our visit. If you haven't seen it then I'll give you the short version. Ed asked Sheska about Doctor Marcoh's notes. She said she read them and could go the extra mile and make us an exact copy of them, since she has a photographic memory. Ed got peeved that it would take days but it was better than nothing.

Outside, Ed asked me, "Is this going to be worth the wait?"

"You mean, are you going to find anything in Doctor Marcoh's notes?" He nodded. I turned away from him so he couldn't see my sad expression. "Yes."

Sensing my change of mood, Ed went to touch my shoulder. I walked away before he got there.

"Wait!" Ed shouted, hurrying to catch up with me. Matching my swift stride, he asked, "You make it sound like a bad thing." I didn't comment so he asked, "Is it?"

I shrugged, "What you find is what you find."

"If you know what's in his notes why don't you just tell us?"

I stopped walking and glared at him, "Because I'm not your go to girl for every little thing. I don't have all the answers!" I didn't realize until that moment how furious I was.

I did the only thing I could think of. I walked off, leaving Ed staring after me.

_Why did I do that?_ I asked myself. I hadn't really meant to shout at him. And it wasn't even Ed that I was mad at. Not really. So why was I so angry all of a sudden?

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed watched Taylor stalk down the sidewalk in a rage. Even though she had yelled at him, Ed suspected it wasn't really him that she was upset with. There was something bugging her, and it was bugging Ed that she wouldn't just tell him.

Ed was about to go after her when Al's hand on his shoulder stopped him. "Just give her some space." Al suggested.

They let Taylor lead the way back. No one dared to talk to her. Except for Hughes that it.

Major Maes Hughes walked down the hall in the opposite direction they were going. "Well, if it isn't the Elric brothers. How are you boys?"

"We're great, Major." Al said back.

"So this is the girl I heard you boys were guarding." He placed himself in front of Taylor. "Are they treating you good?"

Taylor shrugged, "More or less."

Hughes frowned, "You don't seem to happy about it. Hey! I know something that will cheer you up!" Hughes went for his pocket.

Taylor threw her hands up, "Before you pull them out, no, I do not want to see any pictures of Alisia." She dodged past a gaping Hughes and left for the dorm.

"How did she…?" Hughes questioned, watching her leave.

"Don't worry about it." Ed assured him. "She's just on a rampage."

"I see." observed Hughes, adjusting his glasses. "How about you guys then?"

_Oh, no!_ Ed thought as Hughes brought out the pictures.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I stormed into the living room, even slamming the door behind me. Searching around myself, I realized what a bad idea it was to come here. Nothing here could comfort me. Nothing was familiar. The couch, the coffee table, the bed, none of it was mine. In that moment, I would have given anything to curl up on _my_ bed.

The anger rushed out of me, leaving me sad and alone. It was my belongings, my home, my friends, my family that made me feel this. There was an aching in my chest that had been in me all this time but had only now reared its ugly head. I was homesick.

I missed my mom, my sister, all of my friends, my house, all of it. Staring out the window and fighting off tears, I wished I were seeing the yard around my house instead of Central. I missed my home more than I would have believed possible. Weeks ago, if someone had told me I would be going to Amestris I would have been overjoyed. And now that I was here I wanted to go back. I finally get to meet Ed and Al and I get a serious case of homesickness. How lame was that?

Ed and Al… Is this how they felt sometimes? No. They felt worse than this. They lost their mom, their home, even their original bodies. Yes, their pain went far deeper than mine.

Here I was on the verge of tears when the only ones who had the right to cry were Ed and Al. But they never did. Those two went through life, not showing how much they hurt inside. I couldn't guess how much strength it took for them to move forward.

The door opened.

_Oh, God!_ I thought frantically. I did not want them to see me like this. I couldn't let the boys see me tearing up. But I had nowhere to run to. All I could do was stand still and gaze out the window while keeping the water from spilling out of my eyes.

"You left us to fend off the Major on our own. Do you know how many new pictures he had?" Ed's voice was purposely teasing. He could see that I was upset and was attempting to lighten the mood. It wasn't working.

I heard the clinking of metal and Ed whisper, "Ow!" I think Al elbowed him.

"Taylor?" That was Al. "If you have something on your mind you know you can talk to us."

From the sound of their movements, they had stopped by the couch. Still, I could not turn around.

"Come on. You're still mad?" Ed asked.

"I'm sorry." I apologized. Luckily, my voice sounded normal. "I'm sorry I lost it back there and yelled at you, Ed. I'm not mad. I'm just…" I couldn't say anymore. The tears were threatening to spill over.

"Just what?" Al asked.

For some reason, I had the urge to see them. I didn't resist it. Turning around, I let them see the tears run free.

They freaked out. It would have been funny, had I not been crying and depressed.

"Why the tears?" Ed tried to console me.

I wiped at my face but that didn't help much. "I miss my home. Don't get me wrong. I'm so glad to have met you guys, but I can't help but feel this way. I know it's stupid."

"It isn't stupid." Al assured me. "It's normal to miss your home when you're away. I miss mine sometimes too."

"I don't know how you guys do it." I confessed.

"Do what?"

"Never breakdown. Both of you have lost so much but you never break. You just carry your burdens no matter how heavy. You guys are amazing."

Whatever they thought I'd say, it wasn't that.

Al rubbed his neck, "We're not that amazing."

Ed shushed him, "No, no. Let her talk."

"I can't imagine how much strength it takes for you to get through each day." I went on. "It's the kind of strength I wish I had."

Ed laughed, "I'd say your strong enough already. After all the things we've seen you do."

I shook my head, "No. I'm not strong enough." My eyes had finally calmed down and I wiped the remaining streaks off my face. "But I will be." I swore. "I'm going to work hard to be as strong as you guys. It might take forever but I'm not going to give up. I'll keep trying and as long as I do that I'll be okay."

A smile reached Ed's eyes, "You're going to choose us as role models? Well, you couldn't have picked a better pair. Right, Al?"

Al nodded, "Right, Brother."

All of us were smiling now. Everything was going to be okay.

"Are you sure you feel better now, Taylor? Is there something more we could do for you?" Al offered.

I was about to say no when an idea hit me. "Yeah, actually. Can you guys do me a favor?"

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"This is all of it." Al said, laying the bundle on the ground.

"Great!" I cheered, inspecting all of it. The wind had begun to blow my hair in my face so I tied it up in a ponytail. I picked through the different materials.

"So why'd you want all of this stuff?" Ed asked.

I began sorting the items. I had bunches of metal, cork, felt, and plastic. The perfect ingredients for making a… "I'm going to make something."

"I kind of figured that out." Ed rumbled, annoyed. "_What_ are you making?"

I smiled sweetly, "I'm not gonna tell. You're just going to have to wait and see."

Ed's eye twitched, "You– Whatever, like I care. Come on, Al. Let's go spar." He stomped away.

Al laughed. "I can't wait to see what you make." He told me and ran off with Ed.

"Now then." I placed the pieces I planned to use together in a pile. With the image clear in my mind I clapped my hands and, "Shapow!"

What lay before me was not what I had intended. "This is not right." I muttered. For one it was too big and another the keys were completely out of order.

I sat it back down and tried again. Again, I failed. And ten minutes later I was still failing. "Oh, fudge!" This was far more complicated than I thought it would be.

Across the way, Ed and Al were sparring with Ross and Brosh watching nearby. I laughed. Al wad kicking Ed's butt.

Refocusing on my task, I tried again.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The next day, Taylor was still working on her project. She had made metal rods repeatedly but she said none of them were right. Taylor even went so far as to draw sketches of it.

Ed was ready to see what it would be. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was yet. All he saw was a metal rod with holes in it. What was its purpose?

They were all outside again when Major Armstrong joined them. He practically appeared out of nowhere, leaving them no chance to run.

"Such a beautiful day to be out and about!" Armstrong shouted cheerfully. "Why, young lady! What is this magnificent piece you are creating?"

"Don't ask." Ed told him. "She won't tell anyone what it is."

"Nope." Taylor put in and resumed working.

Armstrong leaned his staggering height over to watch her. It made Taylor glance up nervously, "What?"

"Brilliant! Such determination is hard to come by! You are so very dedicated. I admire you!"

Taylor half smiled, half grimaced, "Thanks."

"But you seem to be having trouble." Armstrong went on. "Allow me to be of assistance! Someone so tiny should not work so hard."

Taylor's eye twitched, "No, thank you."

"Surely you would not deny me the honor of helping you! What you need is an Armstrong's superior strength since you are so puny!"

Taylor bounced up, "I am not puny, you overgrown brute!"

"Such fighting spirit!" Armstrong said in awe, sparkles practically shimmering around him.

Ed hid a laughed with a cough. He couldn't help but be entertained by this. He was glad he had found someone who could finally understand his pain. And Taylor was so cute when she was angry.

…_Cute? Where had that come from?_ Ed wondered. Taylor was just a friend. People weren't suppose to think about that way. Right?

_No, _Ed ridded himself of the thought. _Just forget about it and move on. _But Ed was starting to see that Taylor was not an easy person to forget.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

It was later that afternoon when Taylor finally gave up.

"Fine you stupid piece of junk!" She threw up her hands. "I see how it is! You win! Are you happy now?" After ranting at her newest failed model, she marched inside.

"Wow. She's angry." Al commented.

Ed, as soon as he thought Taylor would be inside for awhile, snuck over to Taylor's work area.

"Brother! What are you doing?" Al glanced at the door to make sure Taylor wasn't coming back out.

"I'm just gonna take a peek." Ed assured him.

"But, Brother." Al protested. "You'll just make her even angrier."

Ed ignored his warnings and sifted through Taylor's sketches. The drawings were a more complicated version of the ones she had created. "What is it for?" Ed looked between the drawings and the real thing. Taylor wasn't too far off. She was headed in the right direction.

Ed decided to help her out. Going off of Taylor's sketches, Ed transmuted the metal rod. Picking up the finished product, he grinned, "Perfect. Now if I can just figure out what it's for."

There were numerous valves running along the sides. They could be pushed down, like buttons. Ed fiddled with them, fascinated.

The door opened and Taylor stepped out. Ed quickly hid the metal rod behind his back.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Once I got over my temper tantrum, I went back outside. The first thing I registered was a nervous Edward standing by my workstation. Below him, my sketches lay scattered.

"Ed, I've already told you to not–." My scolding ceased. My newest model had disappeared. And I was betting I knew who was responsible.

"Edward. What did you do with it?" I let the menace seep from my words.

"Nothing." Ed shifted. "I just tweaked it. That's all."

I stomped over to him, "You _tweaked_ it? I've been working on it nonstop since yesterday! I was this close to finishing it and you just had to go _tweak _it?"

Ed swallowed, "But I fixed it for you." He pulled it out from behind his back and held it out to me.

All the rage died in me. It was like I was seeing the sun for the first time. So radiant. So beautiful. So shiny!

Gently, I took the masterpiece out of his hands. My breath caught in my throat. It was perfect!

Ed, watching my reaction, asked, "Is it right?"

I nodded slowly, gazing at the instrument. Something in me snapped. A burst of joy overcame me and I was suddenly throwing my arms around Ed's neck. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Ed recovered from my unexpected assault and stuttered, "I thought you were mad?"

I withdrew, hugging the instrument to my body instead. "No, now I'm happy. It's so beautiful."

Ed and Al shared a glance and Al shrugged. Their thoughts were so easy to read. Ed: _Is she crazy? _Al: _Maybe._

Ed shook his head and sighed, "Can you just tell us what it is already?"

A smile crept up my face, "It's a flute."

Ed and Al stared at me as if I had spoken in Spanish. Al asked, "What's a…flute?"

Again, I forgot I was in Amestris. Apparently on this side of the gate no one had invented the flute. "It's a musical instrument."

Ed's brows rose, "You spent all of that time on something that plays music?"

"What's wrong with that?" I asked stubbornly. It was such a shame. Edward had no appreciation for music.

"Does it work?" Al asked. At least he seemed interested.

I glanced down at the flute. "I don't know." Holding it in the right position, I touched my lips to the mouthpiece. Releasing a steady stream of air, I played a b-flat scale.

"It works!" I cheered, excited.

Ed rolled his eyes, "After all this time I thought you were creating something that would serve a greater purpose."

"It does serve a greater purpose." I argued. Demonstrating for them, I played a song. The song lasted only a minute, but I loved it. It began with long notes that developed into eight notes as the song progressed. The melody was inspiring, tinged with sadness, and absolutely beautiful.

"That's the purpose it serves." I stated after I played the final note.

"I still don't get it." Ed said.

I smiled, fingering the instrument without playing. "I have a flute back home. I use to play it with my friends. It's one of my favorite things to do. That song I just played, a close friend of mine wrote it for me." I held up the flute, "Home won't feel so far away now. Whenever I play this I'll feel closer to home."

I wasn't deluding myself. I know I would miss my home no matter what I did. It was a sadness that would always ache. But now, it was one that I would be able to bear.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was completely necessary. I wanted to show how Taylor was really taking all of this. Even the biggest die hard fan of FMA would get homesick if they were stuck in Amestris and Taylor is no exception.<strong>

**The song Taylor plays on her flute is a real song. When I was writing this chapter I actually wrote her a song on my keyboard and she played it on her flute. I thought that would be an interesting fact you guys would like to know.**

**Please, please review! If you liked it, review. If you hated it, review. As long as you review I don't care what you say. Just speak your mind because I like to know my readers' opinions.**


	13. Chapter 13

******This is one of my favorite chapters. But it took a lot of work to finish. This isn't the original chapter 13. I had to come back and change a lot of what happened in this one. Which made me have to revise the 14 and the 15 and I still have to add a whole chapter between 15 and 16. It's hard work but it's worth it.**

**In this chapter, Taylor dies...Just kidding!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 13<strong>

**The Truth Behind Truths**

(-Taylor-)

The day finally arrived when Sheska finished the copy of Doctor Marcoh's notes. We went to her house to see her completed work.

"It's a cookbook!" Ed sifted through the papers, outraged.

"Is this not what you wanted?" asked Sheska, disappointed.

"No!"

"Ed." I tisked. "You of all people should know not to judge a book by its cover."

He stared at me, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means," I explained, "you should take a closer look."

Ed grumbled but took my advice. He skimmed over a page. His eyes caught something and stopped at a line. "Hey, Al. Come check this out."

Al read where Ed pointed and became excited. What they had to explain to everyone else but what I already knew was that Doctor Marcoh had coded his notes. No way was he going to write down the secret to creating the Philosopher's Stone in a was that anyone could read.

The guys were going to have to crack the code. They would, eventually, but they weren't going to like what they would find.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed's brain sizzled in his head. If he looked at one more recipe his head would explode.

Groaning, he leaned back in his chair, "Al, I don't know how much more of this I can take."

"Just keep trying Brother." Al encouraged him, reading through his own papers. "We've gotten a lot done."

"And look how long that's taken us." Ed complained. "I think I need a break."

"We've been working for hours. Get out for awhile. Go get something to eat. I'll stay here."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Al affirmed.

"Alright." Ed pushed away from the table. He hesitated before leaving.

"What is it?" Al asked.

Ed began, "I've been thinking about something. Doctor Marcoh makes references to transmutation circles that remind me of Taylor's tattoos. Could there be a connection?"

Ed crossed his arms in thought, "What if the secret to creating the Philosopher's Stone is in her tattoos?" Ed couldn't be sure, since he had only seen the ones on her arms. "I have to know."

"You can't ask her. That would be rude." Al remarked.

"But I've got to see them!"

"Then how are you going to do that?"

A plan formed in Ed's mind, "I'm going to seduce her!"

Al shook his head, "That will never work."

Ed would not be swayed. Now that it was in his head he would follow through. This was a mission Ed could not ignore.

"I'll be right back." Ed said, leaving the room. He walked all the way back to hteir room, sorting out in his mind how he could do this.

Taylor sat on the couch playing her flute contraption. The music died as Ed entered the room.

"Hi, Ed." she greeted him.

"Hey." Now that Ed was here he began to doubt himself. He couldn't exactly ask, "Hey, Taylor. Can you take your shirt off for a minute?" No, he couldn't. But he had to do something! Oh, Al was right. This would never work. Ed had no experience in this area.

"What is it?" Taylor noticed how anxious he was.

"Uh, nothing." Ed stammered. "Um, you look tired."

Taylor frowned, "Thanks."

"You should really relax more." Ed said as he walked around the couch.

"I thought that's what I was doi- Hey! What are you doing?" she asked, alarmed, as Ed pushed down on her shoulders.

"Just relax." Ed told her, massaging. Any second Taylor would smack him. Ed was expecting the complete failure of his plan. So it shocked him when it didn't backfire.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

This was weird. Ed was massaging my shoulders… Why? Did he have a fever or something? This was so strange! But I had to admit…it felt good.

At first, I wondered if I should smack him or at least stop him, but I didn't want to. For whatever reason Ed felt like he should massage my shoulders. Who was I to say no?

My eyes closed as I sighed.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Taylor didn't resist him. She made no move to stop him at all. She even sighed! _Am I really that good?_ Ed wondered.

He began to work on her back, about to make his move.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

My mind with blank as Ed pushed on the knots in my back. Wow. Ed was good.

Some of the pressure lessened and something felt weird. "Um, Edward? What are you doing?"

"Nothing." he replied instantly, which made him sound all the more guilty.

I tried to look behind me, "Wha- What are you doing?" Hopping up, I whirled around to face him. "Were you… Were you trying to look under my shirt?"

"Of course no! I-." He closed his eyes and slumped. "Oh, just hit me already."

Embarrassed, I wrapped my arms around myself, "Edward, what's going on here?"

Ed's mouth was tight as he muttered, "I wanted to see what's under your shirt."

Blushing, I asked, "Why?"

His words spilled out, "I have no know! I have to see them!"

"See what?" I discreetly covered my chest with my arms.

"Your tattoos!"

I gaped, "That's why?"

Ed shrugged, "What'd you think I was…" his words trailed off as I frowned. "Oh."

"_Oh_." I copied him. "_Oh, _is right! What were you thinking trying to pull something like that?"

"I wasn't." he admitted, uncomfortable.

"Why in the world did you need to see them anyway?"

Ed shrugged again, "I had this theory and I was curious."

His reason did not bother me. Not as much as the way he went about it. "Did it even occur to you to just ask me?"

Ed's face said it all. No, he had not thought of this. "Would you have let me?"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Seriously, I didn't know. Would I have exposed myself to Ed…maybe. If he'd ask nicely. I shook my head, "The point is you never did. And now you'll never know."

Grabbing my flute, I stormed off to the bedroom.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed returned to the study where Al sat studying the notes. He looked up. "How did it go, Brother?"

Ed fell in a chair at the table, "Complete mission failure. Absolutely no survivors."

Al shook his head, "Oh, Brother."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Ed and Al were becoming perilously close to cracking the code on Doctor Marcoh's notes. I had taken to lingering around the study, waiting for them to figure it out.

Currently, it was just me and Ed in the room. Al was actually taking a break. He had been working for long periods of time, longer than Edward since Ed had to stop and eat and sleep. I hoped, for Al's sake, it was a long break.

"So why have you been hanging around in here lately?" Ed asked me, eyes glued to a sheet of paper.

I gave him an excuse, "I'm just bored."

"I thought you were still made at me." Ed said, glancing at me.

I tilted my head to the side, considering. "Not as much. I still think you're a dingbat though."

Ed fumed, "Who are you calling so tiny you can't see with a magnified gla- Wait, that wasn't a short insult?"

"No." I frowned. "Again, I say 'dingbat'."

"Oh, alright." Ed went back to work. I swear, he didn't care what I said about him, no matter how insulting, as long as I didn't mention his short stature.

"Hold on." Ed's eyes darted back and forth. Ed stood so quickly his chair almost toppled over. "This is it! This is the missing piece! It's-." That excitement died from his features. Horror took its place. "This can't be!"

He had found it. After all the years him and Al had searched for the stone he now knew the special ingredient for making one. I watched as all his hopes and dreams crumbled to dust.

"The last ingredient," Ed gulped, eyes wide, "is humans."

"Edward." I said softly.

Ed continued to stare at the page in disbelief, "To make a Philosopher's Stone, it requires human sacrifices."

Edward." I tried again, taking baby steps towards the table.

"I can't-," Ed stammered. "This can't be! We've searched for this for so long and now that the answer is right in front of me I can't even use it! Damnit!"

Frightening me, Ed shouted wordlessly and smashed his hands on the table. In a rage he pushed all of the papers onto the floor, scattering them.

"Ed!" I attempted to calm him, but he wasn't listening.

"That was our last hope!" Ed screamed. "It was our last hope and now it's gone!"

"Ed." I stopped him, gripping him by the shoulders. "You can't give up like this."

"What else can I do?" he yelled in my face. "How am I suppose to use the Philosopher's Stone if I have to kill people to do it? I can't do that!"

Ignoring his rage, I reasoned, "Then don't use it."

Ed laughed bitterly, "The Philosopher's Stone was the only thing that could bring our original bodies back. How can I tell Al we can't even use it!" His voice was a mixture of anger and sorrow, "I'll never be able to bring his body back now. It's all over. I've failed him.  
>I couldn't bear the terrible look on his face, filled with such pain. And what I couldn't bear even more than that was what he said next. "You knew. All this time you knew what we would find." The way he gazed at me made me feel as if I had betrayed him. And to Ed, that's what he thought.<p>

"Yes, I knew that the Philosopher's Stone used humans, but-."

"Then why didn't you tell us?" he shouted. "You let us search for the answer when you knew it all along. Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I couldn't!" my own voice rose.

Ed's jaw clenched as he asked, "Couldn't, or wouldn't?" He pushed away from me, glaring. The accusation in his eyes hurt my heart.

"I couldn't." I pressed on. "This was something you had to find out on your own."

"On our own." Ed smiled without humor. "Al and I have always been on our own. I guess that's one thing that'll never change."

I answered in a small voice, "You have me."

Ed laughed. He laughed at me. This laugh differed so much from his regular laugh. It held such resentment. "How can you say that when I can't even trust you? You've hid this from me? What else aren't you telling me?"

He was right. There were many things that I hadn't told him. But if I did I risked everything. Not for me, but for them. How could I risk their futures? I couldn't. "I can't. I'm sorry."

My answer wasn't good enough for him. He turned his back to me. "Then I'm sorry too." A wall seemed to have been built between us. I tried to breech that wall, reaching out for him. "Edward."

"Don't." he said sharply, as if he could sense me coming closer.

Tears flowed into my eyes as anger swelled in me. Those two responses were never good but I let them out anyway. Balling my hands into fists, I yelled, "Fine then! All I ever did was try to help you. It's not like I keep things from you to hurt you. I'd never hurt you intentionally. I tried to do this right. But I guess I can't do anything right."

I fled the room. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to get away. I put as much distance between us as possible. Faces passed by me in a blur and I raced to get away from them all.

In my heart, I knew that Ed had only been so harsh because the truth had overwhelmed him. His rage had been misdirected at me, but still, it hurt. Now I felt overwhelmed too. What I should have done was stay with Ed and try to explain things to him. Try to help him through this. But both of us were only human. And humans are selfish creatures. Why go through tough times rationally when you can take the easy way out? It was easier for Ed to get mad at me. And it was easier for me to run away.

So run is what I did. But no matter how far I went, I could not leave the hurt and the guilt behind.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Taylor left, slamming the door behind her. For a split second, Ed felt an overpowering urge to go after her. But Ed's stubbornness was too strong for that.

How could she have not told him? How could she possibly think it was better for him to find out this way? She knew from the very beginning that this meant everything to him and Al. Yet she still allowed them to search. And for what? A stone that they couldn't even use. Now Al would never regain his original body. Alphonse, his cheerful little brother, would forever be trapped in that suit of armor. And it was all Ed's fault. How could he tell Al that their only hope was gone?

Ed's feelings were mixed. He felt sorrow for his brother and anger towards Taylor. The feelings swirled together within his heart. They were so strong that Ed had to sit down and put his head in his hands. He sat, unmoving, staring between his fingers at the scattered papers on the floor.

In the recesses of his mind, rational thoughts intruded. _Maybe Al will understand. Maybe Taylor didn't tell me because she didn't know how to break the news. Maybe this isn't the end._

Ed shook his head. None of that was true. But he desperately wished it were.

_ I'd never hurt you intentionally,_ the words came to him. Was that true? Could Ed trust her after this? He just didn't know

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

My master plan to run far away was foiled by a giant suit of armor. I smacked into Al as I ran out of the building. Let me tell you, a suit of armor is not something you want to run into.

"Ow!" I cried, holding my face.

"Are you okay?" Al asked, hands fluttering over me. "Is anything hurt?"

"Just my face." I patted my nose and forehead, making sure nothing was bleeding.

A; saw the waterworks and started, "I'm sorry! How bad did I hurt you?"

"You? Not at all." In my mind I added, _Someone else? Yeah, a little bit_. Distracted by the pain in my face I could think about something other than Ed. I could get control over my wild emotions and reign in the tears some. I couldn't stop them completely but I made the effort to. "I-I'll be fine. Probably."

"Is there something wrong?" Al asked, catching on to my mood.

"I'll say." I wiped at my eyes. Al still didn't know about the stone. And now the responsibility of telling him fell on me. Great. "I should tell you something."

"Okay." he complied. He followed me to an empty bench. The day crept towards late afternoon. People passed through but not in our area. We were fairly secluded.

Taking deep breaths, I told him, "Ed just discovered the secret to creating the Philosopher's Stone."

"Really? That's great!" Al exclaimed. Then he took in my stoic expression. "Or is it?"

"You'll find this out from Ed anyway. I might as well tell you." He waited patiently for me to go on. So I told him. I told him the secret ingredient was not sugar or spice or anything nice. Instead, the stone could only be forged by the blood of others. I crushed Al's hoped. They couldn't use the Philosopher's Stone now that they knew the truth. No matter how desperate they were to get their bodies back, they would never sacrifice another human being in the process. Many people in Al's position would throw away hundreds of lives if they could restore their bodies. Al wouldn't even consider it.

Al grew quiet, drawing into himself. His sorrow was almost tangible and my heart ached for him. To go through years in a hollow suit of armor with a single minded goal to find the stone and then learn that he couldn't even use it…it had to be torture. Whatever I imagined him feeling right now, he probably felt a thousand times worse.

"Al, say something." I pleaded. "Are you mad at me?"

Al's metal head pivoted to me, "Why would I be mad at you?"

"Because I knew about the stone and didn't tell you." Fresh tears began to glisten in my eyes. I waited for him to get angry and shout at me, like Ed had.

Al didn't do that though. He remained unnaturally calm. "It's not like it's your fault."

"What?" I responded, stunned. Had I heard him right?

"The stone…" Al faltered, "…uses human lives. Getting mad at you won't change that. And, so what? You knew about it. We still found out anyway because you led us in the right direction."

"Oh." I hadn't thought about it like that. "But it doesn't bother you?"

Al shrugged, "I guess not. What really bothers me is knowing that I'm going to be stuck like this forever." He stared at his hand, moving it without feeling it.

"But you're not." I blurted before I could stop myself.

He eyed me critically, "I'm not?"

Now that I had begun I had to keep going. I had to tell Al that this wasn't the end. I couldn't allow him to remain in such torment. To do so would be cruel. And I wasn't a cruel person. Most of the time. "You're going to get your body back, Al."

"Really?" A new hope sparked in him. "But how can you be so sure?"

"I'm from the other side of the gate. I know these kind of things." I reminded him.

"But how exactly do you know?" Al persisted. He wanted something concrete. An explanation less vague, one that he could hold on to.

I sighed, "How do I explain this?… There's this story, a story that many people have heard of on my side of the gate. The story's about you and Ed."

"A story? About us?" Al breathed in wonder. "How did someone from your side write a story about us?"

"I haven't the slightest idea." I shook my head. "I didn't even know any of this was real, Amestris, you, Ed, any of it until I got sucked through the gate. And here I am, sitting with _the _Alphonse Elric."

Al chuckled, his good humor returning. "So you had wanted to meet us?"

"Oh, yeah." I responded. "You're the coolest guys I know."

Al got a kick out of that. But then he became serious once more. "This story…does it have a happy ending?"

I smiled, "Yes, it does. But ever since I've come here events have been changing."

"Does that mean the ending has changed too?" Al asked worriedly.

"Not necessarily. Nothing is for certain. More than likely the ending with stay the same but only if the correct events are followed. That's why I never told you guys that the Philosopher's Stone used humans. You were meat to find Doctor Marcoh's notes and go from there. Who knows what would happen if you never had."

Standing, I gazed up at the rolling clouds. "The slightest interference on my part could ruin everything for you guys. And that's the last thing I want. I want to tell you guys a whole bunch of stuff, but for your sakes it's better if I don't. You understand?"

Al stared at me and nodded, "I do."

My lips curved up, "Good. Don't get me wrong, I'm your friend and I'll help when I can, but this is yours and Ed's journey. It will be long and hard but it's all worth it in the end. You'll get your body back Al. You and Ed will make it through because you're the strongest people I know. You can do this as long as you don't give up."

I sensed rather than saw that Al grinned at me, "I don't think I could give up now." I cocked my head so he explained, "You're a very inspiring person, Taylor."

"Me?" I pointed at myself. Did that mean my speech had a positive affect on him? I hoped so. I hated it when Al felt bad. It made me happy to think that I could be of help to him. And how weird was that? When I help people with their problems it helps me get over mine.

"Yeah, I do." Al answered. "And I know Ed does too."

"He does?" I sputtered.

He nodded, "It's one of the qualities he admires most about you."

"Huh." Ed…admired _me_? Sweet.

Al stood, "Speaking of him, you want to go find him?"

"Uh." Did I want to see Ed so soon after our fight? No. It would be better for both of us if we gave each other a wide berth of space, for a while, at least. "Not really."

"Why not?" Al asked, puzzled.

"Um, cause we kind of had a fight." I scuffed my foot against the ground, watching the movement. "He got mad after he found out. So for now I think I'll just give him some time to cool off."

"Oh," Al nodded. "Don't worry about it. He'll come around."

"I hope so." I muttered.

"What do you want to do in the meantime?" Al asked.

"Hm," I thought. "Want to go walking around Central?"

Al bowed and gestured, "After you."

Yay. Things seemed to be going good between me and Al. Now, if only Ed wasn't made at me.

* * *

><p><strong>Originally, I had it where Ed doesn't get so mad and Taylor helps him sort out everything. But that just didn't sit right with me. I had to come back and change it cause I thought this would be more realistic.<strong>

**If you liked the part where Ed tries to seduce Taylor, I have news for you. Me and Taylor came up with this whole alternate scene for that part and I'm thinking about posting the alternate scene as a short separate story. It's going to be called, "Ed's Method Of Seduction". For humor, not anything that dirty...hee hee.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Guess what you guys... My friend gave me a freaking laptop! Ever since last year when a chair ate my old laptop I have been without a proper writing utensil. And the other day my friend gives me a _freaking _laptop! You da bomb, Amy. I dedicate this chapter to you.**

**Three more things. One: If you want to see what Taylor looks like, check out my profile pic. It's a picture of her. Two: Taylor has recently joined the fanfiction world and you can pm message her if you want to talk to the real thing. She goes by raelyn briety royal. Three: I am open to suggestions that you may have for the story. Any suggestions would be more than welcome. And I do mean _any_. If you want to see Taylor throw a cookie at Ed's face, then let me know** **I'll try to work it in...hm, that just gave me an idea...hee hee.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 14<strong>

**The chapter after thirteen**

(-Taylor-)

Al asked me where I wanted to go first.

"Hm." An idea formed. "Can we go clothes shopping?" I asked hopefully.

"Sure." he said, not averse to the idea.

"Yay!" I cried happily. My clothing options were severely limited so it was about time I got something else to wear. I had no idea how Ed could stand wearing the same outfit all the time. Even if his clothes happened to be very tasteful… Had I mentioned how good he looked in leather pants?

Oh, no. My thoughts had strayed back to Ed. The whole fight flashed through my mind. I felt guilty all over again. Why couldn't I just forget? Because Ed was a hard person to forget and I had hurt him. No matter if it was intentional or not it made me feel extremely guilty. _Will he forgive me? Does he hate me?_

I shook myself. I had to stop worrying over this. Somehow, things would right themselves between us. I'd give Ed some space for now and later we could talk and sort this out. Everything would be okay.

But why did I have this weird feeling in the pit of my stomach? Like impending doom lay right around the corner.

…Impending doom? Seriously? Now that's just plain paranoid.

"Taylor?" Al began in a subdued tone, breaking me out of my thoughts. "I want to ask you something."

"Ask away."

He was silent for a moment. Then he asked his question. "Are we going to get our original bodies back anytime soon?"

Surprised, I responded, "I'm not sure." If things went in order it would be a while before that happened. But events were changing. I couldn't predict when what would happen at what point. "I'm confused by some of this so I can't really tell you. You will get your body back though Al."

"Really?" he asked, hopefully.

I nodded, "I promise." It was the truth, but when I thought about it, how could I possibly know? My intervention could screw up the timeline so drastically that the Elrics may never get their bodies back. But I had this feeling. No, it was more than that. I _knew_ that they would. I can't explain it but I just knew it.

"Good." Al smiled. He didn't have a mouth but he was smiling all the same.

We entered the clothing store.

I felt faint. "Look at 'em all!"

There were so many choices! The number of choices was endless. And beautiful were the clothes. And oh, so colorful.

Giggling, I skipped from rack to rack. Al laughed at my reaction.

"You look like you've never been shopping." he commented.

"Of course I have." I tried to feign annoyance but I was smiling too much to sound anything other than happy. "There's just such a variety here. Oh, oh, oh. I want that one!"

I then proceeded to swoon at every cute top in the store.

A pair of twin ten-year-olds came running into the store, chasing a fluffy critter. Screeching loudly, they scrambled after it. Clothes forgotten, I watched the girls run all the way to the other side of the store. The critter, a cat, had jumped on the highest shelf to get away from them. The girls couldn't reach it and began to cry.

"I'm going to go help them." Al said. "Will you be okay here?"

"Oh, yeah." I assured him, going back to shopping. "You do you're thing and I'll do mine."

Needing no further encouragement, Al left to help the twins with their kitty.

"Alone at last." I whispered to the clothes.

I had moved on to pants when a man approached me.

"Have you seen my daughter?" he asked frantically.

"Huh?" I responded, surprised.

"My daughter. I can't find her!" The worry in his eyes was tangible. "She's only five years old."

"Oh, uh," I craned my neck around, searching for a stray little girl. "No. I haven't seen her. I'm sorry."

"I looked away for one second. Then she was gone." He ran his hand through his short hair anxiously. "I don't know what to do."

"Um, she couldn't have wandered too far. Try thinking of where she would go." I suggested.

The man made an effort to calm himself. "Okay. There's a park nearby where we go sometimes. She was wanting to go there today."

"You see?" I said, satisfied. "She's probably there."

"I've got to find her before something happens to her. Will you help me look for her?"

"Oh, sure." Seeing how distressed he was, I couldn't say no.

"Thank you! Another pair of eyes would be a world of help."

"In that case, let me get my friend."

"You're friend?" he repeated.

"Yeah." I turned around to find Al. He was still with the girls, their kitty already retrieved. "Hey, Al!"

Al caught me waving at him and said his goodbyes to the twins and the cat. As Al neared us, the man's eyes widened. "You're friend?" he asked again.

"Yep. He may look kind of scary but he's really just a gently giant."

Al stopped by us, looking between the nervous man and me, "You need something?"

"This guy's daughter is missing." I jabbed my thumb at the poor smuck. "Think we could lend him a hand?"

Al jumped right on board, "Of course."

"Alrighty then. Just lead the way and we'll find her in no time." I gestured for the father to go ahead.

"R-right." he stuttered, giving Al hesitant looks. I guess Al affected a lot of people that way.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The park, like all places in Central, was large. And crowded. People filled the area. Families played together. A few pairs who appeared to be on dates strolled through the grass. Plus some dogs strewn around. The park was a happy place.

The man was anything but. His obvious anxiety had me nervous for him. Would we be able to find his daughter? Was she okay? Was she here?

"Do you see her?" I asked him.

His eye's scanned the area, searching the crowd hopefully. "No." he moaned. "What if she's not here?"

"Don't worry. We'll find her." Al consoled him. "Maybe someone here has seen-"

"There!" he shouted abruptly, pointing at an alley away from the park. "I saw her! Come on!"

Without questioning him, Al and I followed. We ran after him to the small alley near some clustered buildings. The man ran at top speed, leaving the two of us struggling to catch up.

"Can you see her?" I called out, huffing from excursion. Man, I hated running.

The man didn't answer. He kept running.

I was beginning to feel the first signs of uneasiness when we ran past an opening to another alley. I caught sight of a figure swinging something dark and long in my direction. A sudden pain flared in y head. Then everything went black.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

"Taylor!" Al shouted.

Taylor fell to the ground after receiving a hit from a crowbar from the new stranger. Her body didn't move afterwards.

"What's this guy doing here?" the stranger asked, pointing the crowbar at Al.

This confused Al. Was he talking to him?

"Sorry. I didn't know how to shake him."

The distressed father walked back towards him.

"What's going on?" Al demanded.

"Wouldn't you like to know." Crowbar laughed. He leaned over and picked Taylor up, slinging her limp form over his shoulder.

Al assumed a fighting stance, "Put her down." He may not know what these guys were up to or what they wanted with Taylor, but he did know that they could not have her.

"I don't think so." Crowbar said, eyes flickering momentarily past Al.

Sensing the danger behind him, Al spun around. Someone crashed into him, sending him into some old crates left forgotten in the alley. Al tried t get up quickly from the now broken crates but was thwarted. A sound like glass smashing was followed by a wall of flames. It made Al hesitate, an ingrained fear of fire telling him to stay away. But this body he possessed was far more durable than his last one. It could withstand the flames.

Al jumped across the fire, ready to take on the bad men. But they were gone. _Where did they go? Where did they take Taylor?_

He hurriedly picked a path and ran down it. This way led out to a street lined with pedestrians strolling up and down the sidewalks. None of the people matched the description of the men who had taken Taylor.

Afraid that he had gone the wrong way, Al backtracked to the place of the confrontation. He ran down the other alley but the results were the same. He did not find the man who claimed his daughter was missing. He did not find the stranger with the crowbar. And most importantly, he did not find Taylor.

"I've lost her." Al said in defeat.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed had finally gotten up and had picked up most of the papers when Al came barging in.

"Brother!"

Ed immediately assessed Al's panic state and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Taylor."

"Oh." Turning back to stacking the papers, Ed said, "We had a fight earlier. Just leave her alone for now." He still didn't know how he was going to deal with her.

"No! She's been taken!" Al cried.

"What?" Ed stared at him.

"She's gone."

Ed sighed, "She probably just ran off somewhere. She'll come back eventually."

"No, she's-"

Ed cut him off, "I wouldn't worry about it, Al. We've got more important things to worry about." _Like how I have to tell Al about the Philosopher's Stone, _Ed thought.

"Arg!" Al shouted, grabbing Ed by his coat and shaking him. "You're not listening! We were in the city when some men took her."

'What?" Ed said, his attention caught at last. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure!" Al spouted. "I was there."

"Why would someone want to take Taylor?"

"I don't know. But we've got to find her. You can't let go of the fight the two of you had and you aren't focusing." Al accused.

Ed shifted, "She's been keeping information from us. I don't know if we can trust her."

Al shook Ed forcefully, "You're so stupid!"

"Wha-?" Ed tried, head bobbing.

"She's probably the person we can trust the most. She's been looking out for us this whole time."

"How is keeping things from us considered looking out for us?"

"Idiot! Did you even realize that we wouldn't have found Doctor Marcoh's notes without her?"

Ed's eyes widened. No, he hadn't. Thinking about it now, it was true. Taylor had told them about Sheska who had given them a copy of the notes. In turn, they now knew the secret to creating the stone. But still… "Then why didn't she just tell us in the first place?"

"That the stone uses humans?" Al asked.

"She told you?" Ed became outraged and jealous.

"Only because you had already found out." Al said quickly. "She made sure that you had found it first before she said anything about it. Do you know why?"

"I…" Ed's anger deflated as confusion set in.

"Taylor knows what's suppose to happen but what's suppose to happen will only happen if things go the way they're suppose to."

"Huh?" Ed was lost.

"Taylor's trying to save our futures from a worse fate. Think of it from her perspective. She knows what's going to happen and she says that our story has a happy ending. So she's desperately fighting to keep it that way. Imagine the worry and stress this is causing her."

Ed thought about it. He knew how much of a burden knowledge could be. Did this weigh heavily on Taylor? Was it crushing her?

"She doesn't tell us everything to be mean. Taylor's not a mean person. She's just trying to make sure we don't get hurt."

_I'd never hurt you intentionally, _the words flashed through Ed's mind.

Ed pushed Al's hands away, almost gently. Al looked down at him, seeing the change. "Do you understand now?"

Ed nodded. "Yes." He was no longer mad with Taylor. In fact, he had gained a newfound respect for her. But there was still the matter of the stone. "But now we can't use the stone. What are we going to do now?"

"Taylor said that this wasn't the end. That we would succeed."

"She said that?" Ed asked hopefully.

Al nodded, "She also said that we would get through this because we're the strongest people she knows. That we would make it if we didn't give up."

Give up… That's what Ed had done. For a time there, when he had learned the truth behind the stone, Ed had given up. But now, he wouldn't. No, he _couldn't_. Ed couldn't give up now. He had to keep going. For Al. For Taylor.

"Taylor!" Ed shouted abruptly. "We've got to find her."

Al rolled his eyes, "That's what I've been saying from the beginning."

Ed rushed past Al and jerked the door open. Major Hughes stood in the hallway, hand raised to open the door.

"Hughes!" Ed exclaimed.

"Hey there, Ed." Hughes waved.

"Sorry, Major. I'd really like to chat but we've got to go." Ed slipped past him.

"Always working, huh?" he asked.

"Something like that." Ed responded. "We've got to go find Taylor."

Hughes's eyes widened, "You lost her?"

Ed sighed inwardly, anxious to leave, "Yes. And don't you dare tell Mustang! I'm going to get her back."

"Of course." Hughes said.

Ed turned to Al, "Where was the last place you saw her?"

"Next to the park?"

Ed's brows furrowed, "What were you doing there?"

"We were helping a man search for his missing daughter." Al explained. "But I don't even think he had a daughter. He was with the men who took her."

Hughes gasped, "That sounds like…"

"What? What is it?" Ed asked hurriedly.

"Call it instinct but I don't think this is a coincidence." Hughes began. "There's a group in Central that are into human trafficking. We've been investigating the many disappearances throughout the city but there haven't been any leads. The members lure their victims with similar ruses, such as a parent searching for a lost child. All of the people they take are girls around your friend's age."

"And you think this is the same group?" Ed choked.

Hughes nodded firmly, "And if you don't find her before they take her out of the city, you never will."

Thoughts of Taylor in the hands of these criminals swam through his mind. What were they doing to her right now? What would happen if they never found her?

Ed shook his head. He couldn't accept that reality. He would rescue her if it was the last thing he did. "Any info on where these guys might be?"

"I can't help you there. The girls this group takes just seem to vanish. We can't be sure how they are getting them through the city."

"Alright then. Thanks for everything Major. Come on, Al. We're wasting daylight."

The two of them started for the exit. Hughes called out for them, probably to tell them that they shouldn't go in alone, but Ed called back over his shoulder with a cocky grin, "Don't you worry Major. We'll find them for you."

As they left, Ed had only one thought, _Hold on Taylor. I'm coming._

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Being thrown to the floor was an effective way to wake me up. Voices were all around me but my jumbled mind couldn't process them yet. Blurry images moved past me in the darkness. What happened?

The pain in my head registered and the pieces came together. The figure in the alley. The blunt weapon smashing my head in. I was not in a safe place.

I managed to squint and see people by the dim lighting. There were about three people in front of me. One of them was the frantic father.

Anger swelled in me. The words spilled out of my mouth, "There never was a lost little girl, was there?"

The fake father glanced at me and smirked, "No, there wasn't."

Letting my temper get the better of me, I called him a _very _bad word.

His features creased with fury. I thought how stupid it was to antagonize my captors as he kicked me in the gut. If you've never been kicked in the gut, let me tell you, it HURTS! I could do nothing to protect myself as he kicked me a second time. My wrists were tied behind my back, useless.

Over the sound of my gagging, I heard whimpered cries. Those cries were not coming from me. They were coming from behind me. They sounded feminine and frightened.

Two more men came into view. They whispered to the other two.

"It's almost time." one of them called to the man glowering down at me.

"Alright." he growled. He resisted the urge to kick me again and followed the others out of the room. They closed and locked the door on their way out. How thoughtful of them.

_How did I ever think that guy was anything other than a bas__-__?_

"Are you alright?" someone asked me, disrupting my thought process.

I came up to my knees, coughing. I saw, for the first time, that I was not the only victim here. There were three other girls around my age. They were tied up, like me, and were cowering in the corner. The closest one to me asked again, "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, "No. And neither are any of you I reckon."

She nodded solemnly. One of the girls began to cry. The other girl I wasn't talking to tried to comfort her, rubbing soothing circles across her back.

I glanced around the room we were being held in. There was no furniture, nor any windows. The walls and floor were wood. I got the sense that this was a very old building.

_Is Al here to? _I wondered. He had been with me when everything had went black. Did these people take Al too?

"Was there a guy in a suit of armor brought here with me?" I asked the girls.

The first girl shook her head, not commenting on my odd question.

So they didn't get Al. Which meant he was out there somewhere looking for me. I hoped. Now, to figure out where this place was.

"Where are we?"

"We don't know." the same girl responded sadly.

"And those guys?" I jerked my head in the direction of the door.

"We don't know that either."

I blew out a breath, "Great. Do you know anything about them?"

What she said next sent shivers up my spine. "Just that they've done this before and that they're planning to take us somewhere."

_Great, _I thought sarcastically. And here I thought all I had to worry about were the homunculi. No. Fate didn't want to let me off that easy. Fate wanted to see me suffer and sent bad men to kidnap me and do God knows what to me. What did they want? Were they going to kill us? Torture us?

The crying girl was becoming hysterical. The other girl tried her best to calm her but it wasn't working.

"Hey." I got the attention of the crying girl. She lifted her tear streaked face, showing she was listening but continued to cry. "Don't worry. We're going to get out of here. I've got some friends that are going to come save us. They're not going to let anything happen to me. And I'm not going to let anything happen to any of you."

The girl swallowed back a sob, "R-really?"

"You bet." I promised. I didn't doubt for a second that Al would come for me. As for Ed…Did he now hate me enough to leave me here to die? Surely not. Ed wasn't that heartless. He would come for me too. At the very least, he would come because it was his job. He was still my bodyguard after all. So I was pretty sure they would come. But when they would come…that was the question. We couldn't afford to wait around for them. No matter how hard they searched, the may never find this place.

"Alright. First things first. Help me get my hands free."

The first girl's eyes widened, "Why?"

I snorted, "Why do you think? We're gonna bust out of here."

She gasped, "We can't! There are at least five of them. We're no match for them."

"What's your name?" I asked her.

"My what?" she blinked, confused.

"Your name."

"Uh, it's Cali."

I looked her square in the eyes, "Cali. We can't just sit here. We have to get out of here."

"But you said that your friends would come."

I leaned in and whispered so that I didn't scare the crying girl, "They're out there looking. But on the off chance that they can't find this place we have to take the initiative."

"But, the men." she said worriedly.

"Leave them to me." I assured her. "Trust me on this, Cali."

Fear was evident in her eyes as she glanced from me to the door. But she considered my words and evaluated how necessary this was. "Alright." Turning around, she used her own bound hands to work on mine.

While she struggled to untie me, I wondered, _Since when did I become so brave? _Maybe it was when I had come to Amestris. Or perhaps it was Ed and Al. Could it be that being with them had caused me to change this much? I felt different than I had before I came here. I felt…stronger.

* * *

><p><strong>Aw, that's the end of the chapter. Now you're going to have to wait until the next one is posted. But you know what you can do while you wait? Review this chapter. If you review I'll give you an imaginary cookie. Not a lot in the flavor department but it has zero calories. Hm...I'm still thinking about that idea...hee hee.<strong>


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey party peoples! I've been working hard on revising a bunch of chapters. Since I've been doing that this chapter turned out smaller than I originally had. I don't know when the next chapter will be up since I'm still working on it but stay tuned cause you never know when I might update.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 15<strong>

**The Search**

(-Ed-)

The park was crowded with people. But none of them were Taylor.

"Where could she be?" Ed muttered to himself.

"Maybe we should ask around." Brosh recommended. Yes, Brosh was there along with Ed's other babysitter.

"No." Ed rejected Brosh's idea. "Hughes said that the people this group takes vanish without a trace. No one would have seen them take her."

"Want to go check where they took her?" Al suggested.

Ed took one last glance at the happy park scene. Then he turned to his brother, "Lead the way."

The four of them went to the alleys. They listened to Al explain what had happened. As he neared the end of his explanation, he said, "But then I don't know which was they went."

"Each of these alleys lead back to busy streets." Ross commented. "Someone should have seen them."

"But no one did because they didn't go that way." Ed concluded.

"So where did they go?" Brosh asked.

Ed rubbed his temple, a headache beginning to throb there, "I don't know."

They must have marched up and down those alleys a hundred times. With every passing minute Ed became more determined. He had to find Taylor. No matter what, he had to.

Ed was startled out of his reverie when he tripped on something. Losing his balance, he fell flat on his face.

"Yow!" he cried.

"Brother!" Al called. "Are you okay?"

"No! I am not okay!" Ed raged, sitting up and holding his nose. He had smacked right into the metal of a manhole. Not something you want to do.

As Ed stared down at the offending manhole, something prickled in his mind. Undoubtedly, this led to the sewers. The sewers…

"Brother?" Al asked, concerned.

"You know how Hughes said they couldn't figure out how these people were getting their victims through the city without anyone noticing?"

Al nodded.

"I think I just figured it out." Ed grinned, getting off of the ground. "The sewers! They go everywhere in Central."

Ross spoke, "If they're really using the sewers then this is going to be like trying to find a needle in a hay stack."

"It's worth a try." Al said.

With no more to add, they slipped down the ladder.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Be very quiet." I reminded Cali and the others. At present, we were all unbound but we were far from free.

"How are you going to open the door?" Cali whispered.

I smiled, "What door?" Clapping my hands together, I deconstructed the door into a pile of dirt.

Cali's eyes widened but she said nothing. Which was a good thing. If we weren't careful then the bad guys would hear us. Couldn't have them know we were making a break for it.

The hallway was empty. That didn't mean the men had left. Far from it. More than likely we would run into them. And when we did, it would be my job to protect these girls. They were no fighters, nor did they have fancy alchemy powers (like me). The responsibility of them fell on me. No pressure!

We snuck down the hallway, avoiding creaky floorboards when we could. The hallway led past many rooms and into what appeared to be the dining room. That's where our luck ran dry.

Two men were sitting at a table, playing cards. They looked up at our entrance. Startled, they jumped up.

The girls squealed but I was ready for them. When they came close enough I clapped and slammed my hands to the floor. The wood caved in and the men fell with it. They flailed around almost comically. _Take that!_

"Run!" I yelled at the others. We dashed for the nearest exit, which was a door set behind the table. It let out into an alley. To our right was a dead end so we tried left.

A figure appeared at the end of the alley and ran towards us. Then another. _Oh, boy._

"Go back!" I shouted, pushing them the other way. We couldn't go back into the house so we were left with the dead end.

"The sewers!" Cali told me, pointing at a manhole located at the dead end. "That's how they brought us here. We can escape through there."

"Go then." I told her. "Take the others." I halted and turned back to face them men. The girls didn't hesitate and ran for the sewers. Why didn't I go with them? Simple. If I slowed them down here then they wouldn't be able to catch up with us.

Creating my inner circle, I focused with all my might. I created chains that locked around their legs. They stumbled and went down. _Hah! It actually worked!_

Taylor: 2 Bad Guys: 0

Spinning on my heel, I sprinted for the open sewer entrance the girls had already went down. I hoped there were no more bad guys down there with them.

Behind me, over the sounds of the men shouting, I heard the door open. I didn't turn around to see. First rule of survival: When running for your life never, ever, look back. Stay focused on getting away.

A loud _BANG! _echoed off the walls of the alley and a burst of pain erupted from my leg. I screamed and fell forward. My hands went to grip my left and instantly became bloody. They had shot me! Those jerks shot me!

The men wasted no time. Two of them slipped down the ladder, going after the girls. Two more came to apprehend me. One of them reached down to grab me, but I grabbed him first.

Gripping his forearm with my bloody hand, I did not need to make my inner circle. I sped up the molecules in his arm until his skin was literally melting. That made him think twice about touching me. He screamed in agony and I didn't feel the slightest bit sorry for him.

The other man didn't feel any sympathy towards me either. He reared his leg back and struck my head. The world went dark again.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The sewers were grimy and held a foul odor. Ed didn't care though. He went down the tunnel, focused solely on the mission.

For a time, there was only the sound of their footsteps and the dripping of water. But eventually there was a noise that intruded.

"Do you hear that?" Ross asked.

The party stopped and listened as the sound came closer. "What could it be?" Al wondered.

"Footsteps." Brosh realized.

Yes. It was the sound of many footsteps together, running. Ed ran towards the sound, hoping with all hope that this would lead him to Taylor.

Their group nearly collided into another. The other group was made up of three girls. They screamed when they saw Ed and the others.

"Hey! Calm down." Ed told them.

The girls cringed away from them.

"You have nothing to be afraid of." Ross stepped towards them. "We're with the military."

At that, two of the girls began to cry in relief. The other one simply informed them, "Men kidnapped us. A girl helped us escape but she didn't follow us. They must still have her."

_Taylor! _Ed thought. "Was the girl's name Taylor?"

"She didn't say." the girl answered. "But she did something weird. I think it was alchemy."

That was good enough for him. "Let's go you guys." Ed commanded.

"We can't just leave these girls here." Brosh said.

"Then you two take care of them. Come on, Al." Ed said and ran down the tunnel.

Brosh and Ross yelled after them but Ed and Al didn't listen. They made a mad dash for… Ed realized his plan had a flaw. He should have asked the girls where they came from.

He didn't need to though. As fate would have it, Ed and Al came upon two men. And they didn't look happy.

"You guys wouldn't know how to find a group of kidnappers, would you?" Ed asked.

The men didn't find his joke funny. They quickly decided that the brothers were threats and went for their guns to eliminate them. But they never had a chance to pull them out.

"Now then." Ed began, after the men had bloody noses and were groaning in pain. "Tell us where you kept the girls."

"I'm not going to tell you anything." the man Ed asked spat at him.

"Alright then." Ed smirked. "We'll ask your buddy then. After all, we only need one of you. Al, would you do the honors?"

"My pleasure." Al played along with Ed's bluff. He towered over the man, efficiently terrifying him.

"Okay! Okay! I'll tell you. Please don't kill me!" he begged pathetically.

Ed used alchemy to restrain the other one. They used the first one as a guide to their hiding spot.

"It's up there." he pointed to a ladder.

"Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?" Ed asked, restraining him as well.

With those two taken care of, Ed and Al ascended the ladder.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I woke up groggily again. I was back in the house. Surprise, Surprise.

"I'm telling you. It's gone!" someone said. I felt movement on my leg and looked down to see the speaker probing my leg. "I know I shot her. But the bullet wound is gone!"

Heh, maybe that's why my leg wasn't hurting anymore. I had a splitting headache though.

A man stepped over to me. His arm was covered and he held it as if it hurt. He was the one I had touched in the alley. "Let's see what else she can heal."

He began to kick me relentlessly and I was completely defenseless. My hands were once again tied behind my back and I was forced to face each of the blows.

"You lost all of our merchandise!" he shouted each word separately with every kick.

I cried out and couldn't stop it. I was struggling so much to breath that I couldn't even beg him to stop hitting me. He beat me and enjoyed every second of it.

When he had released enough of his anger, he backed off. A whimper escaped me and I hated the way he smiled.

Suddenly, the door opened. For and instant I became filled with joy. It had to be Ed and Al. They had come and they would save me. But my heart sank the second I saw that it wasn't them. It was another one of the kidnappers.

"Van's ready." he said to the rest of them.

"Good." Injured Hand said. "Get her in it and let's head out. We don't want to be late for the meeting."

The guy at the door hesitated, "But what about-"

"They can catch up with us later." Injured Hand interrupted his question. "If we're late then the boss is going to let us have it."

Multiple grimaces from around the room as the others agreed. I wondered about this boss guy they were talking about. He obviously wasn't here. But I had a bad feeling that soon I would get to meet him.

One of the men hoisted me on his shoulder and carried me outside. He tossed me into the back of a van. All of the others climbed in after and then the van began to move.

As the van drove through Central, all I could think was, _Where are Ed and Al?_

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed and Al rushed into the old abandoned house but not a soul remained. There were many signs that people had been hiding out here but they had already moved on.

Ed looked around the empty room, clenching his fists. They had gotten here as fast as possible. However…

"We're too late."

* * *

><p><strong>Again, sorry it's kind of short. But the next couple of chapters are going to make up for it.<strong>

**So, I've got some ideas for a couple of separate stories. One's going to be called, "Ed's Fancy Coat". The other is going to be...completely random.**

**Anyways. Please review! If I get a lot of reviews then I just might post the next chapter soon.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Believe it or not I got the idea for this chapter while I was watching Ghosthunters. Weird huh?**

**I've posted, "Ed's Fancy Coat" for those of you that are interested.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16<strong>

**You'll Be The Death Of Me (part 1)**

(-Ed-)

"Start talking." Ed ordered, gripping the guy by the collar.

After finding the abandoned house, Ed and Al had went back to the sewers to confront the kidnapper who had told them about the house. Now they were trying to get more information.

"I already told you where they were." the man said, eyes wide.

"We checked out the house. It's empty. Where did they go?" Ed shook the man forcefully.

"I don't know." the man lied.

Ed stared into his eyes with a solid determination. He knew he was lying and Ed didn't have time for it. He had to find Taylor. Now.

"Al." Ed called. His gaze did not stray from the man but he knew Al was behind him. The man stared past Ed, frightened beyond his senses. Al made an effective negotiator without ever having to say a word.

"I don't know!" the man cried over and over.

"I know you're lying." Ed growled. "So tell me everything or you're mince meat."

The scared man was near tears, "I can't. The boss will kill me."

Ed grinned evilly, "What we'll do to you will be much worse."

The man swallowed convulsively, weighing out his options.

"Al." Ed said again.

Al must have made some move because the man began shrieking, "No! I'll tell you! I'll tell you!"

Al backed off and the man relaxed visibly.

"Where did they take her?" Ed demanded, not letting up.

The man stammered, "There's a rendezvous point about a mile outside Central where we take the merchandise. We meet up with the buyers there and sell the girls to them."

So they hadn't taken her far off. They might still have time to catch up with these crooks. But that was only if this guys was telling the truth.

Ed made a snap decision, "You're coming with us. You're going to show us exactly where this meeting place is." This way, if he was lying, they wouldn't have to waste time coming back to question him.

The man became hysterical and began mumbling over and over how the boss was going to kill him. Who was this boss guy he kept talking about? He didn't sound like a friendly guy. Ed could only hope that this boss didn't do anything to Taylor as him and Al raced to find her.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The ride didn't last as long as I had expected. When the van came to a stop, I wondered, _Does this mean we're not far from Central?_ I sincerely hoped so. Otherwise, Ed and Al might never find me.

_If they're even looking for me_, a dark thought filled my mind.

I shook myself. I couldn't think like that. I had to believe they were looking for me. I had to believe they would save me. If I didn't the fear would consume me and that was something I couldn't afford. I couldn't lose my focus. I needed to stay calm and wait for a chance to escape.

The men exited the vehicle, one of them slinging me on his shoulder. My ankles weren't bound so I could have walked but I guess they were being extra cautious. Wouldn't want me thinking about running away.

We were outside somewhere surrounded by trees. The moon had come out a while ago and shined its white light down upon us. How long had it been since I had been in the clothing store with Al? It seemed like an eternity.

None of my kidnappers talked while they walked to who knows where. The man carrying me said nothing either. He just walked, jostling me roughly and not caring. It was quite uncomfortable to be carried this way. Especially since my hands were tied behind my back, straining my muscles.

Thinking around my strained muscles, I tried to figure some things out. Why were we in some forest? Where were they taking me? What did they want with me? What could possibly be out here in the middle of nowhere? If I asked them would they answer me? Probably not.

Recalling their words from earlier, I wondered if they could be going to the meeting they had mentioned. Did that mean they were meeting up with other people? What for? Would their boss person they spoke of be there? And why were they taking me there? Arg! I didn't know the answers to any of these questions!

Suddenly, darkness stretched overhead. I wiggled around trying to see where we were now.

Walls lined the sides of our group, connecting to the ceiling in an arch. But it couldn't be a building. The walls seemed too rough. Too natural. Too rocky? Yes. The structure was made of rock. I got the feeling we were in some kind of cave. Why were we in a cave?

Deeper and deeper we traveled into the blackness depths of the cave. The entrance faded away, leaving us in the suffocating darkness. My breath came faster as I was reminded of the mines in Arcadia. The memory of the chimera hovering over me flashed before my eyes, making me shiver. I had to keep telling myself that this was a different place and nothing like chimeras would be here. At least…I hoped not.

The men must have been familiar with the cave because many minutes passed before they lit a lantern. My eyes were beginning to adjust when the one holding me dropped me on the ground.

"Oof!" I blurted as I landed on the stone floor.

"Don't even think about trying to escape." the same man told me.

Sitting up and jerking my head to get the hair out of my face, I glared defiantly up at him. I didn't say anything though. I wasn't that stupid…Most of the time.

The man grunted and ignored me, looking at the others. I followed his gaze. Moseying around the rest of the space were four other guys. And around all of us were about three tunnels branching off in different directions. I had no idea which one led to the exit. So not only was I against five men, all of which were twice my size, I had no clue on how to get out of here. I hated to say it but I was screwed.

"I guess the boss isn't here yet." my carrier observed. His bald head shined by the light. Hee, hee. Baldy.

"Thanks for stating the obvious." Injured Hand remarked sarcastically.

"What's wrong with you?" Baldy asked, annoyed.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because my _hand _is _melted_!" he gestured to said hand. He was leaning against the wall, panting and clearly in pain.

"You should really see a doctor about that." Baldy smiled, edging him on.

Before Injured Hand could make a comeback, another man said, "No one leaves until the boss gets here and the deal is made."

Baldy backed off and Injured Hand looked elsewhere. Problem was, he was now glaring at me. I glared back, refusing to show any signs of weakness.

"What did you do to me?" Injured Hand asked menacingly.

I shrugged and smiled innocently.

"You little-!" Injured Hand went to lunge at me but Baldy push him back.

"She needs to be presentable." Baldy told him.

Injured Hand muttered angrily and stalked away.

I couldn't take it anymore. I had to ask or the curiosity would make me explode. "What are you guys planning to do with me?"

Baldy turned to me. His face displayed no emotion as he said, "We're going to sell you."

Sell me? What was I? A piece of furniture?

"Why?" I asked.

He laughed then, "For money, of course."

I should have seen it coming. Greed motivated many people and these guys were no different.

"You're going to fetch a pretty price." Baldy went on. "A lot of people would pay a lot of money for someone like you."

"Someone like me?" I repeated.

He crouched and tapped my leg, causing me to shrink back. "You have healing abilities. I don't know how. Don't really care. All I care about is the fortune they're gonna pay for you."

"Who are they?"

He grinned, "You'll find out soon enough." He stood up and turned away.

"You can't sell me!" I nearly shouted.

He looked back over, "Any why not?"

"Because…because…" I searched for a reason. "Because I'm a State Alchemist."

All the men stared at me like I was a bomb about to go off.

"But you're just a kid." Baldy said rationally. Meanwhile, doubt weighed heavily in his eyes.

"That doesn't matter," I said. "You must have heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was only twelve when he became certified. Age doesn't matter. It's talent and I've got it. That's how I was able to fend you guys off before. If you don't let me go then you'll bring the entire military down on your operation."

After my massive lie, the men were understandably nervous.

"She's got to be lying." one said.

"You saw what she did at the house." the one who acted as the distressed father spoke. "That had to be alchemy."

"We can't get the attention of the military." the other said anxiously.

"So what do we do with her?" Baldy asked the others.

Fake Father said, "We'll wait for the boss to decide."

As if on cue, voices called from down the tunnel. I'm not sure which tunnel it was, since the sound bounced off the walls considerably.

"They're here." Baldy stated.

While they were distracted, I maneuvered a bit. Trying not to draw their attention as I moved, I slid my linked hands under myself and stepped over them. Now my hands were in front of me.

Everyone was still distracted so I made the most of it. Steadying myself, I arched my leg up and struck Baldy's kneecap. A slight pop could be heard as his knee became dislocated. He cried out and fell over.

Before the others could make sense of what had happened, I took off down the nearest tunnel. Their shock didn't last long because I could here a couple of them coming after me. I ran awkwardly through the darkness, praying two things. One: That the bad guys wouldn't catch up to me. Two: That I wouldn't run face first into a wall.

* * *

><p>(-Boss-)<p>

"What's going on?" the boss demanded in a sharp tone, assessing the scene.

"The girl, she ran off that way." one of them supplied in a quavering voice. "We've already got men going after her."

"None of you can do anything right." the boss said in a weary tone. "Two of you guard the entrance. The rest of you spread out and search for the."

"Um, there's only one girl." the same one corrected but quickly flinched back as anger contorted the boss's features.

"Where's the rest of my merchandise?"

"Uh-um-they sort of got away. But we sent Barney and Kyle after them. But then, they haven't checked back in with us."

"Idiots!" the boss roared. "Do you have anything else you need to tell me?"

"Uh, the last girl we have is a State Alchemist."

The boss could not have been more surprised. Or furious. But now was not the time to get mad. They had to focus on their priorities.

"Get to work!" the boss barked. "I want every inch of this place searched until you find her."

"Yes." they all mumbled, stumbling over themselves as they began their tasks.

The boss began to move down a tunnel.

"Boss?" one of the ones staying behind to guard the entrance asked.

"If you want something done you have to do it yourself." the boss replied and kept going. They had to hurry and clean up this mess. The buyers would get there soon.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"I guess he was telling the truth after all." Ed said, staring at the structure.

They were in a forest outside of Central. They had found a van awhile ago and with the direction of they're helpful kidnapper, Ed and Al had found the cave. The entrance stood tell, looming high in the night's darkness.

"I wonder how big it is." Al commented.

"Let's ask." Ed knocked on Al's chest plate, "How big is this place? Is it going to take long to find your buddies?"

An echoey answer came from inside Al, "The tunnel system is fairly large. A person could easily get lost if they don't know their way around."

Ed smiled, "Good thing we have you here then."

"Please don't take me in there." he begged. "The boss is probably already here. I'm dead if I get caught helping you guys."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you joined their group." Ed replied. "Come on, Al/ Let's go inside."

"Right." Al began to follow his brother, walking a bit oddly from having a man tied up inside him.

Ed made a torch using alchemy before they went inside. The light of the fire glistened off of the rocky walls. The air here was stagnant and every step you took it felt like someone was watching you. this did not bother Ed because somewhere in this cavern they would find Taylor.

_If we don't get lost,_ Ed thought. There were many tunnels branching off into the unknown but with the man's guidance they followed the wide main tunnel.

"Brother." Al started.

"Yeah, I see it."

There was a light up ahead. It began as a tiny speck but soon grew to a bright beacon.

"Looks like we found them." Ed said as they crossed into the light.

Three faces looked up at their entrance. One sat on the ground of the room sized space. He held his leg as if it was injured. The other two were standing and alert.

"Who are you?" one of them asked.

"I was going to ask you the same thing." said Ed.

The two exchanged glances but neither of them spoke. They stared solidly at the brothers.

"Don't want to say, huh?" Ed shrugged and went on, "I guess I'll introduce myself first. I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

The men blanched.

"She really was telling the truth." one of them faltered.

"She?" Ed caught the word. "Are you talking about the girl you kidnapped?"

The men were definitely nervous now.

"The boss isn't going to be happy."

"Won't you take us to this boss of yours." Ed suggested. "I think I'd like to chat with him."

They ignored Ed's suggestion and asked, "How did you find this place?"

"Your friend was very helpful." Al put in.

"Friend?" one arched an eyebrow. "Does that mean Kyle and Barney got caught?"

"But they wouldn't sell us out." the other shook his head. Then he corrected himself, "Well, Kyle wouldn't."

Ed smiled, "Then this must be Barney." He opened Al's chest plate and the man in question came tumbling out.

"Barney?" the other two exclaimed.

Barney glanced up, gritting his teeth, "Hey guys."

"Yeah, yeah. Happy reunion. Just tell me where Taylor is already." Ed rushed.

"I don't think so." They both shook their heads.

Then the fighting commenced.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I had been running full out when a pain in my leg made my steps falter.

"Gah!" I slowed down as the muscles in my calf tightened unbearably. This was so not the time to get a leg cramp.

Footsteps echoed down the tunnel. They were closing in. I tried to start running again but my leg was not cooperating. Finally, I had to give up and find a place to hide.

The part of the cave I was in was slightly lit by tiny cracks in the ceiling. I could see my surroundings now, barely, but it was better than nothing. There were large rocks and boulders here. I found a crevice behind one of the boulders and curled up there.

Soon, I heard them enter the area. They slowed to a stop to check if I was here.

_Don't look over here. Don't look over here. Don't look over here._

They shuffled around, searching. I peeked over the top of the rock. I could make out the faint lines of two men. They were steadily moving towards my hiding spot.

_Crap!_ I thought frantically. I had to draw their attention away from here. But how was I going to do that when I was stuck here? I couldn't be in two places at once.

Or could I?

I felt around the floor until I found a small rock. Praying that they couldn't see me, I reared back and threw the rock in the other direction.

My rock bounced off of something, making a loud clatter.

"There!" one of them shouted. They took off down the direction of the noise and were gone.

I smiled. These guys were so stupid!

Dragging myself out of my hiding spot, I stood. I shook out my sore leg and asked it, "You're not going to cause me any more problems, are you?" The leg didn't answer back.

I sighed and took the time to get my hands free. It took a few minutes but I eventually got the rope off. After that I made my way through a different tunnel than the one the men went down. I had no idea if this one would lead to the exit, but I couldn't stay put. More of them would come and they'd find me. I had to keep moving.

Taking a turn in the tunnel. I walked into something. No, not something. _Somone_.And she was just as surprised to see me.

Wait…_She_?

Yes. The person in front of me was definitely a she. So that must mean…

Before I could finish the thought and before she could say anything, more footsteps sounded.

_You've got to be kidding me!_ I groaned inwardly. More had already caught up to me.

"Come on." I grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her along with me. "We've got to find a way out of here before they catch us."

The girl was resistant at first but then she realized that I was on her side. She let me lead her down the tunnel.

This must have been another kidnapped girl. How many were there? Were we the only ones or were there more? I just didn't know. And I couldn't waste time searching the whole cave right now. I had to worry about what was happening right now.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed and Al didn't have much difficulty in defeating the enemy. The brothers were trained fighters and these men obviously weren't.

With their adversaries knocked out, Ed and Al could begin searching the rest of the cave.

"Wait." the bald man with the broken leg called out. Through the scuffle he had not intervened, which was understandable because he wouldn't have been much help to his friends. "You aren't going to kill us?"

"Of course not." Al said.

Ed shrugged," That's not the way we work."

Baldy smiled, "Well, that's exactly how we work. The others are looking for your little friend. When they find her they will kill her for all of the trouble she's caused us."

Ed listened to him and glanced back at Baldy's leg. So that must have been what had happened to him. Taylor sure wasn't going easy on these guys.

Ed looked back to the man's face and told him, "Then we'll just have to find her first."

"Good luck." Baldy laughed as they left.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Let's stop here for a moment." I huffed, trying to catch my breath.

We had been running for a while now but I think we had finally lost them. Good thing to cause I was plum tired. If I made it through this ordeal my body would be sore the next morning. Hell, it was sore now.

The area we were in was humongous. Even the cracks in the ceiling had grown bigger so that I could see better. We were standing next to this giant gorge. I peeked over the cliff and saw that it would be a long fall if I were to slip. I could scarcely make out a river flowing. Dang! Just how big was this cave?

"So, do you have any idea where the exit is?" I asked the girl hopefully. She didn't say anything so I turned to her. "Hey. You okay?"

She was staring at me. No, _glaring_. She was glaring at me with such hate.

Surprised, I asked, "What's wrong?"

Her only answer was to push me off the cliff.

* * *

><p><strong>Cliffhanger! Literally.<strong>

**I don't know why I named one of the kidnappers Barney. But ever since I did I imagined Barney the dinosaur as the kidnapper.**

**I have no idea when I'll be updating next. I have to write the next chapter, like with this one, and that might take awhile. Man, ever since I went back to revise these chapters it's been a major pain. But it's been worth it. But I am so ready to get back to writing the new stuff.**

**One last thing: Thank you to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. It makes me very happy! Especially when my lovely readers review. Every time I get a new review I do the cabbage patch.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Surprise! I updated a chapter on a weekday. Got to keep you guys on your toes somehow.**

**I've been working on this chapter nonstop for two days. I had to get it perfect because this is my favorite chapter...so far.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 17<strong>

**You'll Be The Death Of Me (part 2)**

(-Taylor-)

The ground left my feet and for a whole second there was nothing but gravity holding me. And it was dragging me down fast. Pure instinct made me fling out my arms and grasp for something solid. My hands managed to catch the ledge of the cliff and stop my perilous fall. But now I was hanging on the edge of the cliff, my feet dangling in the air. Not good.

"Hey!" I cried out, terrified.

The girl stepped up to the ledge and peered down at me. Her face was anything but happy.

"What did you do that for?" I yelled. Why on Earth would she push me off the cliff? Did she think I was with the kidnappers or something?

"You've been causing a lot of trouble for just one girl." she said with a sneer. "But you're not just a girl, are you?"

"Um, I'm not sure what you're talking about but can you please help me up?" I said, my voice rising with distress. I didn't have a lot of upper arm strength and I was only holding on by sheer force of will. Darn, should have went to the gym more.

"And why would I do that?" she asked as if I were crazy. Which I found funny since she was the one pushing people off of cliffs. "I've got to clean up this mess those idiots made."

"Uh, mess?" I stammered, losing my grip for a second. I adjusted my weight and held on more tightly.

She leered at me, placing a foot on one of my hands but didn't push down on it. "Yes, mess. Those idiots know better than to take a State Alchemist."

"How did you-?" I sputtered. Then the realization hit me. "You're with the kidnappers!"

"With them?" she snorted. "I own them. I thought I had trained them better than to make stupid mistakes like this but apparently I was wrong. And now I have to clean up their mess."

I looked closer at her. At first I thought she was just another kidnapped girl like me. But now I could see that she was years older than me and Cali and the other girls, in her upper twenties maybe. Yes, she was no victim. Quite the contrary.

"You're their boss." I uttered.

She laughed, "What, are you surprised that I'm a woman?"

I shook my head, "No. It totally figures. Women are vicious."

Amused, she laughed again, "Thank you. I do try."

She began to increase the pressure on my hand with her foot.

"Wait! You can't just kill me!" I said, trying to stall for more time.

The pressure kept increasing as she spoke, "Foolish girl. I can do whatever I want. And I want nothing more right now than to see you fall to your death."

She began crushing my hand. I cried out but held on firmly. I couldn't let go. If I did I'd fall. And that would be bad.

Suddenly, the pressure on my hand went away. I glanced up to see why.

She was no longer paying attention to me. Instead, she was staring intently away from the cliff. What was she watching?

With no warning, she took off.

?

Where did she go? What was going on? Why did she leave?

I guess I didn't need to know. She was gone and I let the relief wash over me…That is, until I realized that I was still hanging by mere fingers on the edge of a cliff and no one but her knew I was even here.

"Hey!" I shouted. "Come back! Help me!" It was useless to ask my kidnappers for help but when you're hanging from a cliff all rational thoughts fly out the window.

"Help!" I screamed as loud as I could.

My fingers began to slip. I didn't have enough strength to hold myself here, let alone pull myself up. In moments I would fall into the gorge and die. _Crap!_

_This is the end,_ I told myself. As seconds passed by my fingers lost more precious inches. My arms were beyond numb. They wouldn't hold much longer.

Thoughts flashed through my mind. I saw my home back on the other side of the gate. I saw my mom, smiling. My sister, a scowl on her face as we teased each other. I saw my school where I saw all of my friends every day. I could visualize the town I had lived in my entire life. A map of it formed in my mind. All the places I knew and loved and visited all the time but would never see again. And then more images came to me. The images of the places and people I'd met in Amestris rushed in a stream of memories. Resembool, home of the Rockbells'. Central, the city I'd appeared in at the beginning of my journey. And all of the military officers who worked at Central Headquarters. Then…the Elrics. Edward and Alphonse came to me the most vividly. I would never see them again. All of the things I'd grown to care about, all of it, would be lost to me forever.

"No." I whispered. But I couldn't stop it. I would fall from this cliff and be lost in the river below. And worst, no one would even know. Ed and Al would never find me, not even my body. I was going to die all alone.

"NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I was shakily holding on by my fingertips. My body felt so heavy, as if it was telling me to just let go. The river below seemed to be calling out to me, yearning for me to plummet to its flowing water. I tried my hardest to ignore all of that and hold myself there. But I was fighting against the inevitable. In the next few seconds I would lose the battle and fall and die. This was going to happen. It didn't matter how much I wanted to live. Gravity did not care as it pulled me down.

My muscles failed me.

My hands left the rough rock.

But I didn't fall.

I hung suspended in the air. Astonished, I looked up. On the ledge was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

"Gotch'ya." Ed grinned. He leaned far over the edge, his arm outstretched to grab my wrist.

"It's you." I breathed.

"Were you expecting anyone else?" he joked. Then he grimaced, "Jeez, Taylor. You must have put on a couple pounds. You're heavy."

I glared at him, "And you're short."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "If I'm short what does that make you? Microscopic? Did you forget that you're shorter than me?"

I laughed, "Just shut up and pull me up already."

He smiled and went to pull up. But then the unthinkable happened.

The ground beneath Ed shuddered. Before we could make sense of it, the ledge gave way. The rock began to crumble and Ed's body started to fall forward. He had nothing he could hold onto. The both of us were going to plummet to the bottom together.

"Brother!" a voice called out. A hand shot out and grabbed hold of Edward's ankle, stopping our descent.

"Thanks, Al. I owe you one." Ed told him.

"Alphonse! You're here too?" I cried happily.

"Of course." he said, a smile in his voice. "Sorry we're a little late."

"Can you save the apologies for later and just pull us up, Al?" Ed asked, his face creased with strain.

"Alright. Hold on."

"Don't really have any choice in the matter." Ed grumbled.

Al went to pull up our human chain, but it was too much for the already unstable ledge. A piece of it broke off, falling into the gorge. Al's body jerked forward causing our chain to swing wildly.

Screaming, I thought, _Now all three of us were going to die._

Al twisted his hulking body at the last second and managed to grab hold of the edge firmly. Though his grip was sure it wouldn't matter. The ledge continued to shudder.

"Al!" Ed shouted.

"Working on it!" Al yelled back.

"Work faster!"

Al grunted in annoyance, "I'm trying!"

Below us, the river's volume seemed to have increased. I could hear the water as it rushed fiercely down it's path. The sound filled my ears, not letting me forget it was there.

Above me, Ed stared down at me. We gazed at each other over our locked hands. Where on my face fear and doubt was written, on his was a burning determination shining brightly. Even when the circumstances were at their worst Ed never gave up.

"I need to tell you something." Ed began.

"Um, Ed, this really isn't the time." I replied.

"I have to tell you." Ed remained steadfast. "I-"

Al interrupted whatever he was going to say, "I can't get enough leverage!"

The ledge shuddered again and another piece broke off close to Al. Next would be the section he held on to. We were too much weight for the ledge to handle.

_Too much weight…_

If there was less weight then maybe the ledge wouldn't break. Maybe we could still make it. Well…not _we_. The loss of weight had to come from somewhere.

I swallowed hard. If we stayed like this we would all die. I couldn't let that happen. I had to do this. I had to…

"Ed." I looked up into his face, gaining courage just by seeing him. "Let me go."

His eyes widened, "What? Are you crazy?"

"It's too much weight for the ledge to handle." I explained. "If you let me go-"

"No!" his eyes became stormy at the unfinished suggestion.

"But-"

"I don't care about myself, Taylor!" he shouted. "I'm not letting you go just to save my hide."

"What about Al?" I asked. "Even if we survive the fall into the river he won't. His blood seal will be washed away."

Ed processed this, looking past me at the river waiting at the bottom of the gorge. The first signs of uncertainty crossed his features. "Al?" he asked.

"Don't even think about it." he answered definitely.

Ed smiled a small smile, "You see? We're not letting go." Then he added more quietly, "I'm not letting go of you again. I promise."

His words hit me in the chest like a physical blow. Did this mean that he had forgiven me? Did he not hate me?

Tears welled up in my eyes. A smile of my own filled my lips. It was like a ton of bricks had been lifted off of my shoulders. To hear him say that…it gave me the strength to do what needed to be done.

"You're such a dingbat." I muttered.

Then I leaned up and bit his hand. Hard.

"Yow!" Ed cried out at the sudden pain and reflexively loosened his grip. This was enough for me to break from his hold.

The air swept past me in a rush of wind as my body plummeted downward. I watched Ed's face until it became blurry with the increasing space between us. Soon even his body faded from my sights. Then the river swallowed me into its cold depths.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

"Taylor!" Ed screamed.

Taylor had forced Ed to let go and had fallen into the darkness of the gorge. Al couldn't believe it but his eyes saw the truth. _But why? _Al thought. _Why would she do that after we told her to hang on?_

"Taylor!" Ed screamed again as he squirmed in Al's grip.

"Stop moving Ed!" Al commanded. "I can't hold on if you don't hold still."

"We have to get to her!" Ed continued to wriggle.

"You can't go jumping in after her. You'll be killed." _Like Taylor_, Al finished in his mind. It was a staggering height to fall from and even with the river's water to cushion the fall the strong current could still drown a person easily.

"I don't care!"

"We can find another way." Al tried to reason with him. This vaguely reminded him of the mines in Arcadia. When Taylor had gotten separated Ed had wanted to risk collapsing the mine to get to her. Al had had to talk his brother into taking a less risky path. But unlike last time Ed would not listen to him.

Ed kicked out of Al's grip. Al flailed and tried to grab him but it was too late. Ed barreled down into the gorge, disappearing into the river.

"Brother!" Al yelled. Not only was Taylor gone but now Ed was too. Al had lost them both.

"No." he affirmed. With his hand now free, Al could easily heave himself onto solid ground. He didn't stop to rest. Didn't need to anyway. He hit the ground running and didn't look back.

_I'll find them,_ Al thought fervently. He couldn't accept that they would go willingly into the clutches of death. No. Al knew Ed. He was too stubborn to die. And over the time Al had known Taylor she had proven to be a fighter. Neither of them could die so easily.

Al would follow the river. He would find them. And they would be alive when he did.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I couldn't breath. All around me water swarmed. It pushed and battered me until I couldn't tell which way was up or down. There were a few times when my head would bob out of the water and I could draw in a breath, but I'd also take in a lot of water too. I kept coughing and gasping, causing me to breath in more water.

_I'm drowning_, I thought. I flailed and thrashed but to no avail. The current was too strong and there was nothing solid to grab hold of. All that surrounded me was water. More and more water. Everywhere. Nothing but…

_Air. I need air._ My lungs were filling with liquid and my throat burned for oxygen. But the river showed no mercy. It carried me under and wrapped me in its embrace.

I fought and tried to swim normally. It didn't work. My body was influenced only by the river. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't escape.

The current crashed me into something. It felt like a brick wall. Whatever it was, it was big and concrete.

_Maybe I can use this to my advantage_…

I attempted to maneuver up the wall to the surface where there would be sweet, sweet air. However, the current continued to bash into me. I couldn't move any of my limbs. They were being pushed against the wall, immobile. I couldn't move. Couldn't breath. I was trapped in this watery hell.

_Didn't think Hell would be so cold. _I thought. My body was so numb. I could barely feel it.

It was dark. Even when I opened my eyes I couldn't see anything. My sight wouldn't help me anyway. I was stuck here.

_So this is how I die…_the thought drifted through my befuddled mind. My consciousness began to grow thin. I wouldn't live much longer if I didn't get the oxygen I so desperately needed.

_So tired,_ I thought wearily. I wanted to sleep. A voice was screaming at me to fight the urge but it was a small voice. I could easily ignore it. It was too uncomfortable here. I wanted to sink farther into the darkness and leave all of this behind. I knew I should fight against it but I couldn't remember why.

My last comprehensible thought before I slipped into the darkness was, _It's so cold…_

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Damnit! Damnit! Damnit!" Ed cursed in a never ending stream as he fought against the river's current. He was soaked to the bone but at least now he was out of the water. Being the genius that he was, Ed had changed the state of some of the water to create a raft of ice. It was cold and difficult to maneuver but it worked.

Ed kept his eyes peeled as the river pushed the raft farther into the cave. He didn't find what he was looking for though. With every twist and turn the river made he still did not find Taylor.

_She has to be somewhere around here,_ Ed thought. _But what if all I find is her…_

"No!" Ed said firmly. He would refuse to believe that all he would find would be her body. He would find her, alive. And when he did he was going to yell at her like there was no tomorrow.

Water splashed and Ed nearly toppled over. He caught himself and regained his balance. "Damnit!" Ed shouted again. _How long is this river anyway?_

Ed tried to remain focused. He concentrated on not falling in while at the same time looking for Taylor. With difficulty, he managed.

"You've got to be kidding me." Ed said as he saw what was coming up. Up ahead large boulders jutted out of the water. It would be nearly impossible to go through them. So Ed didn't even try.

When the distance closed between him and the obstructions, Ed ditched his raft. He jumped up into the air and landed on top of one of them. His raft crashed against one of the boulders. With the force of the current it broke into pieces.

"Now what?" Ed asked as he stared into the water. The rocks were spread throughout this section of the river. He was going to have to hop over them until he cleared them.

"What's that?" Ed asked himself as his eye caught something in the water. It didn't seem to belong there, whatever it was.

"That's-!" Ed broke off, realizing exactly what it was he was looking at. Immediately, Ed began to jump the rocks to get over to it. The rocks were slippery but that did not matter. Ed jumped them like a pro and got to his destination.

Once on the rock, Ed slapped his hands together and touched the rock he stood on. Light flashed from the transmutation. A large mass of rock was formed and lifted the object out of the water.

"Taylor!" Ed shouted at the still figure. Taylor lay there, unresponsive.

Ed pulled her to him, laying her on his shoulder. He had to get her out of here. He scanned the area and found solid ground on the edge of the river. That would work nicely.

Ed created his inner circle, slamming his hands down on the boulder beneath him. The rock trembled and did as Ed wanted. It changed shape, moving him towards the edge of the river. At the edge he leaped off the rock, Taylor in tow.

Sitting Taylor down, Ed examined her. She didn't seem to be bleeding anywhere. So what was wrong with her?

Then he noticed that she wasn't breathing.

Ed cursed for the forty sixth time. He placed his hands on her chest and began pushing. Ed was no doctor and he'd never done this before but he knew the basics of resuscitation. He could do this.

He pushed again and again on her chest. He didn't know how many times he needed to. He kept pushing, wondering if it was supposed to take this long.

_Air!_ Ed realized. She needed air.

He stopped pumping her chest and tilted her head back. _Close the nose, open the mouth, _Ed thought methodically. He leaned over, placing his mouth over hers. Her lips were like ice.

He breathed into her. _Breathe,_ he thought at her. He blew again. Still nothing.

"Come on!" Ed yelled in frustration. He went back to pumping her chest. Water dripped from his bangs. He was freezing in his soaked clothes. But he knew that Taylor was colder.

"Breathe!" he pushed on her chest one more time and went back to breathing into her.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three…

Ed leaned back up and pushed on her chest for the hundredth time. He wouldn't give up. He didn't care how long it took. He was going to bring her back.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I felt like I was floating. The river's current had calmed, leaving me in this no gravity space. There was no sense of urgency to leave anymore. I could stay here and relax. It was still dark but that no longer bothered me. It was so peaceful. I could stay like this forever.

A pressure on my chest made my tranquil thoughts waver. I tried to ignore it but it was being quite a nuisance. The pressure persisted until my chest was throbbing.

_Stop. Let me sleep, _I begged.

A voice answered me in return, though I couldn't make out the words.

_Who was that? _I wondered. Then I decided I didn't care and went back to my resigned state.

But the pressure would not leave me alone. It kept up and became a constant pain. There was no thinking around it. All I could focus on was the pressure on my chest. It felt so heavy.

The voice called to me again. It sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.

"Breathe!" the voice shouted.

_Breathe?_ Why would someone need to tell me to breathe?

Because I wasn't. I became fully aware of this fact and as soon as I did my peaceful thoughts shattered. The pressure on my chest became unbearable. I searched for a way to make it go away. I needed to get out, but I couldn't find the exit.

The voice sounded again.

_There!_ I followed the voice and came back to reality.

My eyes snapped open and my body heaved. I rolled over as my body purged itself of the water in my lungs. Something beat into my back, causing more water to come out in choking coughs.

"Let it out. Let it all out." the voice told me.

After the water was gone I began to draw in ragged breaths. The air slid down my throat roughly but it was air. Pure, clean air. I never breathed anything better in all my life.

I stared down at the ground, trying to come to terms with everything.

_Ground? When did I leave the river?_

I looked to my left and found my answer.

"Ed?" I coughed, still trying to breathe right.

"Yeah." he said, patting my back more gently now. So it had been his voice calling out to me. He had been the one to get me out of the river. He had saved me. "You okay?"

I thought about it. I was _freezing_ and my body felt like it had been run over by an eighteen wheeler, but I was awake and breathing.

Nodding, I panted, "I'll be fine." I sat back, clutching my chest. It felt like there were bruises there. "Chest hurts."

"That's because I nearly beat it to death trying to wake you up." Ed explained.

"Huh? Why'd you do that?" I asked stupidly.

Ed rolled his eyes, "Cause you drowned. Do you not remember? And what the hell did you bite my hand for? That hurt!"

I ignored his question and asked, "What does drowning have to do with that?"

Ed sighed at my slowness, "You weren't breathing. I had to resuscitate you. Which involved pounding your chest to a bloody pulp and-" He suddenly cut off as if he remembered something. He looked away from me as if embarrassed.

I didn't understand. What was he going to say? What did resuscitation involve again? Pumping the chest and breathing for the person…

_Oh…_

A blush colored my cheeks. Ed had gone the whole nine yards giving me CPR. He had had to breathe for me. Which meant mouth-to-mouth. So his lips had touched mine.

Instantly, I felt angry. Ed had kissed me and I hadn't even been there for it! Well, not really a kiss but still. I should have woken up sooner.

"So," Ed coughed, attempting to break the awkward silence. He looked back to me to say something else. His expression changed rapidly.

I was about to ask what was wrong when a pain flared in my scalp. Something was dragging me by my hair away from Ed.

"Taylor!" he yelled, about to come after me. But he was hindered by men.

_Where did they come from?_ I had time to wonder before something hit me in my side, tossing me into a roll.

"Ugh!" I stopped rolling and clutched my side, gritting my teeth. The man who had kicked me walked over to me and kicked me again.

"Leave her alone!" I heard Ed scream. He was fighting two other men. I think he could have won but then another joined the fight and it was three to one. They kept coming at him, leaving him no time to transmute. He struggled to simply defend off their attacks.

I was distracted by another kick in my gut. Man! Enough with the kicks! I'd been kicked enough today for one lifetime thank you very much.

The guy walked away, leaving me groaning where I lay. He went to help his buddies with Ed. After he joined in they had no problem restraining Ed.

Out of the shadows another figure appeared. It was the woman I had mistaken as I victim. The big boss of the show had finally reappeared. And she was holding a very sharp looking knife. Her steps were quick and sure as she approached Ed. She was going in for the kill.

The next few seconds happened so fast. I was suddenly on my feet without remembering getting up. I ran towards them and, without even thinking about it, flung myself in front of Ed. The boss lady didn't hesitate. She sunk the blade deep into my chest.

The pain didn't even register at first. My mind blanked out and the next time I was aware I was on my hands and knees. I began making small gasping noises as I struggled to breathe.

Cruelly, my painless state didn't last. The heavy weight on my chest came in excruciating waves. The hilt of the blade stuck out of the center of my chest. Blood seeped around the edges. I didn't want the knife in me. It hurt. And with no more than that thought the knife disappeared.

Red liquid gushed out of me and it took all of my will power to not fall over. I coughed harshly and tasted blood. That was never a good sign. Someone was screaming, and I knew they were screaming at the top of their lungs, but it was muffled to my ears. I think the person screaming was Edward.

The woman in front of me was about to kick me but I wasn't defenseless. I had the power of my Philosopher's Stone backing me up. All it took was for me to think about it. The ground changed and speared her leg as she swung it towards me. The ground broke off in her leg and she fell to the floor, rolling and crying like a baby.

I couldn't hold myself up any longer. My body was so heavy. I dropped to the floor, my chest still bleeding profusely.

There was movement surrounding me. People moved around me. I saw flashes of Ed and the men. Strangely I saw a suit of armor too. _Al,_ I thought sluggishly. Al had finally showed up to the party. He fought along side his brother. I knew the other guys wouldn't last long with the two of them fighting together.

Soon I couldn't follow all the activity. I didn't bother too anymore. I had done my good deed for today. Now I could close my eyes and get some rest.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed's eyes watched in horror as Taylor slumped to the ground. She didn't move after that.

Adrenaline coursed through his body. He used it to fight his opponents with a vengeance. Al showed up in the middle of the brawl and quickly fell into step with his brother. Together, Ed and Al disposed of all of their adversaries.

When the last one went down, Ed rushed to Taylor. He rolled her over and saw how serious her injury was. The wound poured blood out, unrelenting. She breathed in short gasps, fighting to stay alive.

"No, no, no." Ed chanted, sliding his arms under her and holding her carefully. "Stay with me Taylor."

Al kneeled down on Taylor's other side. His hands hovered over her, but, seeing there was nothing he could do, dropped them. There was nothing either of them could do. But Ed refused to accept it.

"Don't you die on me damnit!" Ed shouted. "Not for me. Don't you die for me!"

Taylor didn't respond. Her breathing became even more labored. Her eyes were closed and wouldn't open.

"Maybe there's still time. Let's take her to the hospital." Al suggested.

"Okay." Ed knew how far they were from the nearest hospital but it was worth a try.

Ed was about to move her but her breath faltered. Then it ceased all together.

"Taylor." Ed's eyes widened. "Taylor!"

* * *

><p><strong>Did anyone see the double death coming? I sure didn't.<strong>

**Before you guys get too angry know that I will be updating another chapter later this weekend. This isn't the end...Or is it?**

**Lastly, I'd like to give props to Taylor. It was her idea in the last chapter to shove the kidnapper, Barney into Al. It was also her idea that she bite Ed in this one.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey peoples! I've got another chapter for you guys! From now on I'm going to be updating only one chapter every weekend. My reason? Well, quite frankly I'm running out of chapters. Not that the story is running out of chapters but I am. I haven't been writing a lot lately and I need to get in the writing groove again.**

**Be sure to check out my newest short stories: "Ed's Jealousy Problem" and "Ed's Theme Song".**

**One more thing: Check out the explanation at the end of the chapter. **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 18<strong>

**I Died For You**

(-Ed-)

"Taylor." Ed's eyes widened. "Taylor!"

Taylor could no longer answer him. She lay so still in his arms, covered in her life's blood. Taylor may have always had a pale skin tone, but this was unnatural. Her skin was so white and cold. Cold with death.

"No." Ed breathed. This wasn't like before when Taylor had drowned. There was no easy method to revive her. He couldn't resuscitate her, not with the hole in her chest. There was nothing he could do to bring her back. All he could do was beg, "Wake up."

A single tear slid down his cheek and Ed let it. He let himself be weak for once. Ed had lost many things in his life. His mother. His home. His arm and leg. He should be used to losing things by now. But gazing at Taylor's still face, this was not one piece of his life that Ed was ready to lose. Without ever realizing it, Ed had begun to lean on Taylor. She had said that she wasn't strong enough. But that wasn't true. It was her strength that Ed admired most about her. She had become a pillar of strength that Ed had unintentionally leaned on. And now that she was gone Ed found himself falling.

"She's gone." Al echoed Ed's thoughts. He bowed his head in mourning.

Ed shut his eyes tightly and pressed his forehead to Taylor's. He had failed her and he hated himself for it. He couldn't even save one little girl.

If only Ed had done something different. If he had fought harder, would she still be alive? If he had held on more tightly on the cliff would this be happening now? And most important of all, if Ed had never gotten angry with her in the first place would they be back at the dorms right now, laughing and alive?

Guilt washed over him and he let it. No matter how many questions formed in his mind he always found himself the one to blame. It had been his fault. Ed was the one who had led her here. Taylor was dead because of him. And now he would never be able to tell her…

"I'm sorry." Ed began. He knew that Taylor could not hear him but he spoke to her anyway. "I'm sorry about before, in the study. I should have realized…" Ed trailed off, fighting back a sob. He tried again, "I can trust you…I trust you, Taylor."

Al began making whimpering noises. It was his way of crying. The sounds echoed out of his armor, sorrowful and tragic.

"Come back." Ed pleaded. He knew how childish it was to beg for this. He knew that the moment her heart stopped beating it would never beat again. And yet, there is a childish tendency in all of us, even in the strongest of people, to wish for miracles. We all have futile hopes that the clock will reverse itself and go back to when everything was right in the world. That would not happen now though. The clock had stopped ticking. The hands had stopped their circuit, neither going forward nor backward. They were frozen in this cruel moment of time.

Ed was nothing if not stubborn. He still wished. He yearned with every fiber in his being to make the clock reverse. For this to be right.

"Come back." his voice broke. "Please, come back."

Suddenly, Al gasped, "Look!"

Ed jumped back, scanning Taylor up and down. What he saw amazed him.

All of Taylor's blood was glowing a bright red. The area around her wound shined the brightest. It almost blinded Ed.

"What's happening?" Al asked. Ed couldn't answer him since he had no idea either.

The blood began to evaporate before their eyes until there wasn't any left. There was no blood whatsoever. Not even the blood that soaked Taylor's clothes. Red sparks lit Taylor's wound as the skin knitted back together. When the hole had sealed completely, Taylor's eyes flew open. Her back arched as she gasped in a breath.

"Taylor!" Ed and Al shouted in unison.

Taylor was coughing and writhing, but she was alive. Her hands clutched at Ed's coat with renewed vigor. Her eyes wide and fearful.

"Taylor. It's me, Ed." Ed calmed her, holding her cheek in his hand. "It's okay. You're okay."

For the longest time Taylor stared around herself, uncomprehending. It was like reality was coming to her in pieces as she tried to process it all. When she looked at Ed and Al long enough, recognition flashed through her eyes. "Ed? Al?" she croaked.

"It's us." Al answered, marveling at Taylor's recovery.

Taylor released Ed's coat with one hand to feel her chest. She searched for the wound that had disappeared.

"You're healed." Ed assured her. He didn't know how it had happened but he didn't care. As long as Taylor was alive because of it.

A small smile crept upon her lips as she said weakly, "Told you girls were as durable as guys." Her eyelids fluttered and her head lay against Ed's chest.

"Taylor?" Ed asked anxiously.

"I think she just passed out." Al said. "See? She's still breathing."

Yes. His brother was right. Taylor's breathing was deep and consistent. All of her injuries had healed. She would be okay. And because of that, Ed would be okay too.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The trio exited the cave to find something unexpected and yet had been expected all along.

A variety of people slinked through the trees as they approached the cave entrance. They regarded the teenagers with curious glances. It was written plainly across their faces. _What are teenagers doing all the way out here?_

Ed and Al exchanged a look. Al, who was holding an unconscious Taylor carefully in his arms, shifted nervously. Ed nodded and took the lead.

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're the buyers." Ed said.

Some of them relaxed, thinking that Ed and Al were with the rest of the kidnapping group. The others became wary.

"We're here to see Melana." a man in a fancy suit spoke.

Ed's brows rose, "So is that the boss's name? Nice to know her as something other than _the boss_."

Everyone began to see that there was something amiss.

"What's going on here?" Fancy Suit asked.

Ed smiled, "My apologies ladies and gentlemen but the market is officially closed. You're going to have to find your merchandise elsewhere. But that's going to be hard seeing as how you'll soon be stuck behind bars."

"What's a kid like you going to do?"

Ed's smile deepened, "I'm no ordinary kid. My name's Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

Many gasps around the group.

"He's a State Alchemist?"

"How did the military find this place?"

"Let's get out of here!"

"You're not going anywhere!" Ed announced. There were fifteen to twenty of them but Ed could take them on. He wouldn't let a single one of them escape.

Suddenly, new shouts filled the enclosure.

"Freeze!"

"Nobody move!"

Men in familiar blue uniforms filtered out of the trees and cut off the buyers' escape. All of them quickly surrendered. They were outnumbered and it helped that they were being held at gunpoint.

Ed and Al looked around, surprised.

"Al?" Ed questioned his brother.

Al shook his head, "Don't look at me. I had nothing to do with this."

"Then who did?" Ed wondered.

"Hey boys! Looks like we're right on time."

The brothers started at the voice.

"Major!" Al exclaimed happily.

"How's it going?" Maes Hughes waved at them with a smile.

"How's it going?" Ed growled. "It hasn't been going good at all! Where the hell have you guys been?"

Hughes sighed, "We would have been here a lot sooner if you two hadn't decided to run off on your own."

Ed was taken aback by the comment. He couldn't say anything to that so he settled on crossing his arms and glaring at the man.

"Are these all of them?" Hughes gestured to the buyers who were now in cuffs and being escorted away.

Ed continued his glowering, leaving Al to answer the question, "There are more inside the cave. Let's just say we didn't leave them in the best condition."

Hughes laughed heartily. Then his eyes caught sight of Taylor. "Looks like they're not the only ones. How is she? Does she need medical treatment?"

"Um…" Al trailed off, not knowing how to answer.

"She'll be fine." Ed saved him. "She's just had a long night."

"Haven't we all." Hughes rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Major, how did you find this place?" Al asked. Ed hadn't thought to ask but know he wanted to know as well.

"We had a little help from the guy you so kindly left in the sewers for us. Kyle, I think his name was."

"From what the others said about him I didn't think he would talk." Al said.

"Oh he didn't want to." Hughes grinned. "That is, until Armstrong convinced him otherwise."

Ed groaned, "Please tell me he's not here."

Hughes shook his head, "He's back at HQ. Which is where you guys should be heading back to."

"What about you?" Ed inquired.

"I've got to stay here and help round up the kidnappers. Hopefully, it won't take too long."

A dark look came over Ed, "Or you could just seal the entrance and leave them there to rot."

Hughes blinked, "Wow. They must have really gotten on your bad side. Did they call you short or something?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THEY'D FALL IN A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK!"

Hughes smiled stiffly, "Relax, Ed. I didn't. I was just wondering why you're so angry."

Ed glared off in another direction, "They kidnapped Taylor. Shouldn't that be reason enough?"

Green eyes gazed at him perceptively. "It's more than that. Tell me, what happened in there?" he gestured to the cave.

_Taylor died,_ Ed thought, but he answered, "Nothing. We came here, found Taylor, and here we are now. End of story."

Hughes was not convinced but he let it slide, "Alright then. I'll have someone drive all of you back to Central." He went to talk to one of the officers, making arrangements. "Okay." He turned back to them. "You're all set."

"Thank you, Major." Al said.

Hughes smiled, "No, thank you. You guys solved an investigation that had been going nowhere for months. If it hadn't been for you then these people would still be kidnapping innocent people. You boys did a world of good tonight. But next time can you tell someone where you're going before you run off?"

Ed frowned while Al answered for them, "Yes. We will."

"Great." Hughes said happily. "Now run along. And take care of the little miss."

"Will do." Ed sighed and they all left.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Sit her down here. Nice and easy." Ed instructed.

Al laid Taylor upon the bed. They had all managed to get back to the dorms in one piece. Mostly anyway. Ross and Brosh had been peeved with both of them for running off without backup. Ed had assured them that Major Hughes had already given them the lecture. They still gave him a hard time about it.

"When do you think she'll wake up?" Al asked.

"I don't know." Ed answered truthfully. He gazed at the girl laying on the bed, appearing peaceful in her sleep. Ed wanted to cover her up in case she was cold but she was on top of the covers. Instead of going through the trouble of covering her with the blankets, Ed grabbed his coat and placed it over her.

"She will wake up, right Brother?"

_Of course, _Ed wanted to say but didn't. He wanted her to wake up but that didn't mean that she would. "She's been through a lot. All we can do is hope that she'll be okay."

"Do you think we should take her to the hospital?" Al asked worriedly.

Ed sat down on the bed and stared out the window in thought, "I don't think so. Her injuries have been healed." _Injuries that I couldn't protect her against, _Ed thought guiltily. The memory came to him. He saw the boss lady, Melana, step out of the shadows with the knife. Ed was trapped. Then Taylor stepped in and took the blow for him.

"Brother?"

Ed came out of his reverie, the image of Taylor covered in blood remaining in his mind. "Yeah?"

Al looked at Taylor. The place where the blade had went in wasn't covered and they could see the rip in her shirt. Glimpses of her tattoos could been seen. "How did she heal herself?"

"I suppose it was like the other times she did." Ed assumed.

"But how did she do it those times?" Al persisted.

Ed shrugged, "I don't have the answer to that. Only Taylor does. We'll have to ask her when she wakes up."

"It reminds me of the homunculi. They regenerate much in the same way." Al observed. "But Taylor's not a homunculus…is she?"

"No." Ed shook his head. "She doesn't give off creepy vibes like the homunculi do." Though, the similarity Al pointed out was unsettling. Did this mean Taylor had some tie to the homunculi? Could this be connected to the reason that they were after her?

"Come up with anything?" Al asked, startling Ed.

"What?"

"You had your thinking face on." Al explained. "You're thinking hard about this."

Ed nodded, "Yes. I'm trying not to, cause all its doing is leaving me with more questions." He frowned and scratched his head, "For once, I'd like to have some straight answers."

Al sat in silent agreement. They remained in the room, watching over Taylor until she woke up.

* * *

><p>(-Truth-)<p>

The white nothingness surrounded them. This space unnerved visitors but not Truth. This was its space and the space was a part of it. Truth sat in its usual spot, contemplating all that had transpired.

"Is it time?" an emotionless voice asked Truth.

"No." Truth answered. "Now is not the time."

"When will the right time be?" the voice asked, neither patient nor impatient.

Truth smiled, "Soon, but let's give them a while."

"What about the girl?"

The question made Truth laugh, "I admit, this was a close call for her. Had it not been for the boy she would be dead. But she's doing fine for now. Though I have a feeling that an opportunity will present itself. When it does I'll have a use for you."

The voice's owner nodded, standing calmly beside Truth, "This one is not so different from the others. She will fail."

"My, it sounds like you want her to fail." Truth commented.

"It does not matter to me whether or not she fails. I only have one reason for being. You know that."

Truth chuckled, "Yes, I do."

"She will fail." they spoke with an indifferent certainty. "Just as all the others have before her."

"It's more than likely that she will but there's always a chance she will succeed." After all, Truth had brought the girl here for a reason. If it was certain that she would fail then Truth would not have bothered. There was still a possibility that this girl would be the one to win this game.

* * *

><p><strong> I've gotten some reviews from people about the last chapter wondering why Taylor's philosopher's stone didn't save her before she died. Here's my explanation:<strong>

**When Taylor died the first time, (when she drowned) the stone couldn't help her. The stone only heals injuries and can't really give her oxygen. When she dies the second time from the knife she dies too quickly for the stone to kick in. The other times when she healed herself it was her body subconsciously tapping into the stone's power. Taylor has yet to use it that way consciously. She can but she hasn't realized it yet. **

**I hope this clears up any questions about this whole situation. I didn't want my readers being too confused.**


	19. Chapter 19

******I must take the time to apologize to Taylor. Not only have I killed her twice, I keep referring to her as my original character. She's not that mad about me killing her but she's mad that I keep calling her an OC. Taylor is not my OC. She is a real person and I do not own her. There! Are you happy now Taylor?**

**Anyway, me and her have been discussing this story and she's helped me plan out the rest of it. I finally know how everything is going to play out. This will take about another thirty chapters, I think. There's a lot more to write on this, so I hope you guys stay with me!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 19<strong>

**In My Arms**

(-Taylor-)

The darkness surrounded me, holding me captive. There was nothing but me in the darkness. It scared me. I wanted to leave. But I couldn't find the way out. Where was a light?

A voice came to me from the blackness. It was a horrible collage of voices, not one distinguishable from the other. The voice of Truth. I couldn't understand the words, despite how loud they were being yelled. I couldn't make it stop. I huddled in on myself begging that it would go away. _I want out. I want out!_

My eyes snapped open and the real world found me. Two familiar worried faces hovered over me.

"My boys." I murmured.

An odd look crossed Ed's face, but he pushed it away, "Are you okay?"

I thought about it. Sorting out my individual body parts, I determined they were fine. Whatever injuries I had received had healed. The only thing bothering me was a slight headache. "I'm fine. Just tired."

"You scared us." Al told me. "We thought you died."

I sat up quickly, surprising them. The blanket covering me slipped down, though after a moment I recognized that it was Ed's coat and not a blanket. I began to paw at my chest but the wound was gone. I wasn't deceived. It had happened. The memory of the knife sinking into me was strong in my mind. I remembered falling into a dark, cold pit, even darker than when I had drowned. There had been a sense of no return. I had been so alone.

"No. I did die." I realized.

Al became confused, "But, you're here."

I shook my head, shuddering, and whispered, "No. I died. I felt it."

Ed turned away, "You stopped breathing. You were gone." His eyes weren't seeing the room any more. He saw the horror of my death. "But then your blood began glowing and disappeared. Then your wound closed and you were alive."

I glanced down at my clothes, "So that's why I'm not covered in blood." I had a moment where I thought Ed and Al had cleaned me up. The image was embarrassing.

"Do you know how it happened?" Ed asked, looking back to me.

"When I healed myself?" I asked. He nodded. "I have an idea." It had to be the Philosopher's Stone inside me. There was no other explanation. But I had died. What could have activated the stone if I was dead? Could it have done it on its own? Somehow, I didn't think that was the answer.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"Um," I fidgeted uncomfortably. "I can't really say. It's too confusing" I was so afraid to not tell them because I didn't want another incident like back at the study, when Ed had gotten angry with me. Still, I couldn't tell them. What if they wanted to use my stone? More than likely they wouldn't because they swore they wouldn't use human lives that way. Maybe they'd think I had somehow created it. That I had purposely forged it for my own selfish reasons. Would they hate me if they believed that? Even if they didn't think that would they still hate me for simply having it and using it sometimes? Now that I thought about it, did I hate myself for using it? The thought had never even occurred to me before.

To my astonishment, they didn't get angry and ask questions.

"As long as you're here now." Al conceded. "We were going to take you to the hospital, but you seemed stable enough."

For the first time, I noticed we were back in the dorms. I was currently sitting on the bed in the bedroom. "Nah. I don't need any stinkin' hospital." It was surprising really, after everything I had endured. I couldn't remember exactly how many times I had been kicked today. Let's see, about twenty times in the cave, before that, thirty seven in the abandoned house…

"The girls!" I exclaimed. "Cali and the other girls. Did they make it out alright?"

"You mean the girls we found in the sewers?" Ed asked.

I nodded frantically.

Al patted my shoulder, "Don't worry, They're fine. Brosh and Ross made sure that all of them made it back home safely."

I breathed a sigh of relief, "They made it."

"But you barely did." Ed said, his tone deeper.

"I'm here now." I tried to smile at him.

Ed glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his expression unchanging. "I'm glad you're okay then." Without another word, Ed walked into the living room, closing the door behind him.

"What's up with him?" I asked Al.

"Brother took it hard when you almost- when you died." he corrected himself. "We both did actually."

Al may have been a suit of armor, but I knew sadness when I saw it. I smiled gently at him and touched his arm, knowing he couldn't feel it but showing him that I cared. "I'm okay now. Thanks to you two."

Al bowed his head. I wanted to say something more but he interrupted my thoughts, "You should go talk to him."

"Oh." I said, looking towards the door. "You think so?"

Al nodded, averting his eyes. Something was obviously wrong. Both of them were acting strange.

"Alphonse?"

"You should go talk to him." Al repeated. He seemed upset. I decided I would give him some time alone.

"Okay." I said unsurely. I pushed off the bed and entered the living room, closing the door back for privacy.

Ed had his back to the room, staring out the window. The moonlight filtered past him, casting his shadow along the floor. To think, we had been in that cave mere hours ago.

"Ed?"

He didn't respond. His shoulders were taught, his hands clenching into fists at his sides.

I stepped forward, "Ed, what's wrong?"

A bitter laugh came from him, "You have to ask?"

No. I didn't have to ask. He was angry at me. After all, I had caused all of this. My fault. I was keeping secrets from him and worse, I had let myself get caught by those kidnappers. I had been so much trouble for Ed and Al. I felt an immense amount of guilt. Suddenly, I wanted to cry. "I'm sorry."

Ed spun around with an incredulous expression, "You're apologizing?"

"Yes. It's my own fault I got kidnapped. If I had better sense it would have never happened."

Ed's face was shocked for a whole minute. Then he recovered and became fierce, "Don't you dare blame yourself for this!"

I blinked rapidly, "What?"

"If I had been there like I was supposed to they would have never been able to take you. It was my job to protect you and I let you die. You died in my arms." He gazed at his arms, reliving the moment. Then he looked back to me, hands once again tightening into fists. "Why would you do something stupid like that?"

"Like what?" I wondered which stupid thing I had done that he was talking about.

"Die for me!" he shouted.

"I couldn't let you get hurt." I reasoned.

"But it's perfectly fine that you die?" Ed asked angrily.

I rubbed my foot over the floor, watching the movement, "The world needs you more than me."

"But I need you!" Ed replied. Then he caught himself. The look on his face said it all. He hadn't meant to say it out loud, even though he meant every word.

"You…need me?" I asked quietly.

"I-" Ed began. His face turned red before he could turn around and hide. "Uh, yeah. I need you, cause, you know, you can tell the future and stuff."

I smiled, tears rushing to my eyes and falling free. I hadn't fully comprehended until that moment that I was here. That I was safe. The fear, the pain, it was over. I could finally relax and let the relief wash over me. And the only reason I was here was because of Ed and Al. They had come when I needed them most. And now Ed was telling me that he needed me too. He was trying to cover up with lame excuses. It was cute really. He didn't want to admit he needed me, but it just slipped out. He was embarrassed.

I wasn't. What he said, it made me feel warm inside.

Crossing the space between us, I hugged Ed from behind. I wrapped my arms around his midsection and buried my face in his black jacket.

"Thank you." I whispered.

He stiffened with surprise but adjusted quickly. He sighed, touching my hands with his fingers, "For what? Letting you die?"

"You came. You came for me."

"Did you think I was just going to leave you there?" he asked rhetorically.

I didn't want to say no or yes so I answered somewhere in between, "You were mad at me. And you had every right to be. I guess I wouldn't blame you if you had left me there."

He considered my words before answering, "I let my emotions get the best of me. Al had to talk some sense into me." He sounded a bit amused by that. "He made me realize something…"

"What?" I asked, interested.

"I trust you Taylor." he said. "I wanted you to know that." My eyes widened and my breath caught in my throat as I listened to him. "And I'll always come for you. Don't doubt it for a second."

I didn't think I could cry any harder but the waterworks intensified. I was full out crying, almost sobbing. "Okay." my voice wavered.

I felt him move as if he were trying to look at me, "Hey, are you crying?"

"A little bit." I admitted.

"Why are you crying?" he asked anxiously.

I tightened my arms around him, "Because I'm happy."

Ed covered my hands fully with his. He let me cry against him.

"Thank you." I repeated.

Ed moved in my arms. I thought he was uncomfortable so I began to pull away but then he turned to where he could face me. He wrapped his own arms around me. I couldn't be sure but I thought I saw his eyes shimmering, like there was too much moisture in them.

"First you apologize. And then you thank me." Ed spoke softly, his breath tickling my ear. "That's so stupid."

I laughed. Here in Ed's arms, I felt entirely safe, warm, and wanted. All the bad things in the world seemed distant.

"I knew I could make you laugh." Ed said. His voice held a smile.

Ahh… I loved where I was right now. Being held by Ed, I could die happily all over again… On second thought, dying hurt too much. Just let me stay alive in Ed's arms. I could enjoy it longer.

We withdrew from one another, Ed gazing down at me. He wiped away the remaining tears with his gloved hand. "No more dying. Okay?"

I laughed, "I'll try to keep it down to a minimum." I glanced down and saw my shirt. "Do you think those jerks are going to buy me a new shirt?" I asked, fingering the hole made by the knife.

Ed chuckled, "After everything you've been through you're mad about your shirt?"

I shrugged, "It's a nice shirt." I moved away and was headed for the bathroom to take a shower when a thought hit me. "Oh, no!"

"What is it?" Ed asked, concerned.

I turned to him with a horror struck expression, "I never got to finish my shopping!"

Ed stared at me a moment, then erupted in laughter, "Here I thought it was something serious."

"It is serious!" I replied, which amused him even more. I growled at him angrily and marched to the bathroom.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I exited the steamy bathroom to find Al sitting on the couch.

"Hey." I greeted him.

"Hi." Al said back. He was being unusually quiet.

I padded across the carpet and sat beside him. "What's wrong, Al?"

"Nothing." he responded immediately.

I frowned, "Something's on your mind. You can talk to me about it if you want."

He peeked over at me but turned swiftly away, "You must hate me."

My eyes widened. Appalled, I asked, "What gave you that idea?"

"I let them take you." he said, looking sorrowful.

Oh. I understood now. Al felt responsible for my kidnapping. "Alphonse, you can't blame yourself for that. Besides, it was my fault. I should have known better than to trust that guy in the first place." I remembered how frantic the man had been. He had been a good actor but I should have known something was off. Anger flared through me just thinking about him.

"No. I was your escort. I should have defended you better."

"No. It was all my fault." I insisted. "None of yours."

Al still didn't listen, "I couldn't stop them. It's my fault. Even Brother thinks so."

"What makes you say that?" I questioned.

"The way he's been acting. I can see how angry he is."

I shook my head, "The only one Ed's angry at is himself. He blames himself too." That made me think. All three of us were fighting over who was to blame. Each of us tried to claim responsibility. Suddenly, I found the whole thing funny. I giggled. I giggled and it was girly and so not me.

Al turned to me, surprised, "You're laughing?"

"Yes. Don't you see?" I tried to stifle my laughter. "We're all so busy blaming ourselves when the real people to blame are the kidnappers." I shook my head, seeing this from a new perspective. "You know what? I see this day as a win."

"You do?" he asked.

"Yes. Because of what happened today a bunch of criminals were put to justice and three girls were saved."

"I guess when you look at it that way, but still-"

"No buts." I interrupted him. "You've got to find the positives when it comes to a situation like this. If all you see are the negatives it will drag you under."

Standing up, I leaned over and hugged his metal neck, "I don't blame you, Al. You shouldn't either."

His armor clinked as he reached up and touched my back, "Okay," he surrendered.

"Good." I said and let him go. "We are good, right?"

He laughed once, "Right."

"Good." I repeated. "If we weren't I'd have to kick your butt until it was right."

He laughed with more feeling this time. It sounded like his soul was grinning. If only I could see his smile.

I smiled back at him, "You know, Al, you remind me of the brother I always wished I had."

I couldn't really gauge his reaction but I knew his tone was heartfelt when he spoke, "I think of you as a sister too."

I turned my head, smiling, "Stop it. You're gonna make me cry."

He laughed and said, "It's late and it's been a long day. You should go get some rest."

I nodded, already yawning, "Goodnight, Al."

"Goodnight, Taylor." he waved at me.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

In the bedroom, Ed lay on the bed fast asleep. I couldn't help but smile. He frowned even in his sleep. I was adorable.

Quietly, I tiptoed to my side of the bed and curled up under the covers. Yes, even after that first night when I woke up to Ed's grabby hands I've allowed him to share the bed. I considered forcing him to sleep on the floor, just for good measure, but then I really thought about it. What girl in their right mind wouldn't want to share a bed with Ed? So he had wandering hands…I could live with it.

I settled into the bed comfortably. Ed didn't stir in the least. That was good and- wait a minute!

My eye twitched as I stared at the back if Ed's head. His hair…it offended me. It was in its usual braid, which was the part that bothered me. I hated going to bed with my hair tied in any way. Never could get any sleep if I did. It's uncomfortable and completely unnecessary.

Hm…maybe if I was really careful I could…

I reached up and began to untie his hair carefully as not to wake him up.

"What are you doing?" Ed asked.

I squeaked. He was awake! Had been the whole time. "Oh, I, uh, was untying your hair."

"Why?" he asked, bemused.

"It, um, looks uncomfortable. Besides, we wouldn't want it choking you in your sleep."

Ed snorted, "My hair's not long enough for that. And even if it was it wouldn't choke me."

"I beg to differ." I said, resuming on his hair. "I went to sleep one time with my hair braided and it nearly killed me. That's an experience I don't ever want to repeat."

I removed the hair band and smoothed out his golden locks. Marveling at how soft it was, I ran my fingers though it. Ed took great care of his hair, unlike a lot of guys I knew. "Where I come from, guys don't have long hair like this."

"Why not?"

"I guess they can't pull it off like you can, Ed." I joked.

Ed glanced over his shoulder and gave me a dazzling smile. His head turned back and I withdrew my hands.

After a moment, Ed said, "You didn't have to stop."

"Oh." I said. He liked it? "Okay." I began to play with his hair again. My lips curved up as I asked, "If I play with your hair will you play with mine?"

He laughed, "Then what? We go shopping and talk about boys?"

I giggled. I couldn't help it. Oh, that was twice in one night.

"Did you just giggle?" Ed asked, amused.

"No." I denied it and did it again. Dang it!

"Taylor, not only are you a giggler, you're a bad liar too. You disappoint me."

"Ack! What about you?" I sputtered.

"What about me?"

"I-I don't know." I stuttered. "Give me a minute to think of a snappy comeback."

I kept playing with his hair while desperately trying to think of a proper insult. A minute later, Ed announced, "If you don't hurry up I'm going to fall asleep."

Rather than a comeback, I thought of something else to say. "This is how my mom use to get me to go to sleep." Mom…The last time I had thought about her was when I was hanging on that cliff for dear life. I had thought I was going to die. Well, I did die, but I didn't think I'd come back. Thinking of her now, I began to wonder if I'd ever see her again. If I'd ever go home. Did I even want to go home? All this time I had been going along with everything. Should I have been searching for a way to go back? I missed home terribly, but what about Ed and Al? Just the thought of leaving them behind made my chest hurt. What was I going to do?

Ed was quiet for a minute. Then he said softly, "When Al and I were kids our mom would sing us to sleep."

I perked up and grinned, "Do you want me to sing you to sleep?"

He chuckled, "That's okay."

"Good, cause I wasn't going to."

"You know what? I change my mind. Sing to me Taylor."

I froze. He couldn't be serious. "You can't be serious."

"You're the one who suggested it. Sing me a tune."

"No, no, no." I said definitely. "The only way I'm going to sing is if people aren't watching me."

"Nobody's watching you."

"You are."

"You're behind me." he pointed out.

"Yeah, but you can still _hear_ me."

"I think that's the point."

Aggravated, I asked, "Why don't _you_ sing?"

Ed enunciated every word, "I don't sing."

"That's a shame. You have a sexy voice." I murmured

"What?"

"Nothing!" I clamped my mouth shut. I tried to glare at it but it was kind of hard since it was under my eyes. It just didn't know when to shut up.

"So, are you going to?" he asked.

"Going to what?"

"Sing." he pressed on.

"Don't make me. "I whined.

"I'm not going to make you." He paused and said, "I'm going to beg."

For the next few minutes I was forced to listen to, "Taaaaylooor. Come on. Pleeeease. Sing for me." It was so dang hard to resist. The sound of Ed was not something I could ignore.

"Fine!" I growled. "But if you laugh at me I swear that's the last thing you'll ever do."

"I promise not to laugh." he said, even though he was as he said it.

I began fiddling with his hair again to keep my hands busy. I breathed deeply in and out, attempting to calm myself. It didn't work.

"Are you going to sing or what?" Ed nagged.

"Would you shut up!" I retorted. "I'm thinking of what to sing."

Ed promptly shut his trap. I searched my mind for a song I could possibly sing. I nearly laughed at myself when I thought of the perfect song.

"_What a crime, such a beautiful crime, that God should make a star as bright as I. And I know it's a disgrace to admire this perfect face reflected in your eyes._"

I stopped singing, gauging his reaction. I'm not the best singer but he hadn't run from the room screaming. That had to count for something.

"That is," Ed began, "without a doubt, the most conceited song I have ever heard."

"Funny you should say that." I whispered.

"What?"

"Never mind." I replied. "Anyway, there you go."

"What? That's it?"

"Yep."

"I thought you would sing something, I don't know, more serious."

"Well," I said, "there is this one song."

Ed waited patiently, expecting me to sing. I decided to give him his wish. I started singing a song I really liked by Plumb called In My Arms. The song reminded me of a lullaby, slow and soothing. As I sang it to Ed I felt him relax to the words of the song.

"_Storybooks are full of fairy tails, of kings and queens, and the bluest skies. My heart is torn, just in knowing, you'll someday see the truth from lies._"

Before the song had even ended Ed's breathing slowed until it was sluggish with sleep. I finished the song out, repeated the chorus a final time.

"_Clouds will rage in. Storms will race in. But you will be safe in my arms. Rains will pour down. Waves will crash all around. But you will be safe in my arms. In my arms…_"

With Ed now fully passed out, I settled in to go to sleep myself. It had been a stressful day. I had died.

_I died._ The thought made me shudder. It was horrible, yes, but I didn't freak out about it. Why didn't I? I mean, I died! Shouldn't I be acting weird? Be traumatized a little bit? Why did I feel so…okay?

There were two answers to that. One of them was in the living room. The other lay right in front of me.

In the weeks I had spent here in Amestris I had grown close to Ed and Al. I had always wanted to meet them, but now that I had, it was completely different than what I thought it would be. I could have never guessed how much I would care for them. I really meant it when I had said I thought of Al like a brother. And Ed…I didn't feel the same way about him as I did for Al. It was a different sort of feeling. But I couldn't put my finger on it. I liked Ed of course…Maybe…what I was feeling was…love?

* * *

><p><strong>About the songs: The first one was <em>Guilty Beauty Love<em> by Vic Mignona (the voice of Ed). The second was _In My Arms _by Plumb. If you haven't heard these songs I highly recommend them.**

**BTW: My newest short story is out, "The Man". Check it out if you want to laugh.**

**One more thing. I'm planning another short story for my readers who have taken the time to review. It's a way to say thank you to you guys. I'm hoping that I'll have it up by next week. It will be called, "Frog War" and will feature some familiar faces, (you guys!). Yes, I'm putting you guys in it so please don't hate me if I give you a bad part (like where you're evil or you die). **


	20. Chapter 20

**Oy, muttonchops! How are things in the land of plenty?**

**I know I promised a side story specifically for my readers who have reviewed but it's been a really long week. I'll try to write it soon and post it. You have my word that I will try my best or Taylor can beat me with a fish. But never fear my furry friends! I had a different story ready for just such an occasion! It's called, "A Forbidden Love". Hm...what's that about I wonder...**

**Lastly, I must apologize for I have recently discovered that I am an idiot. All this time I've been referring to Hughes as a Major when he's really a Lieutenant Colonel. I made a mistake and now I feel so wrong...and dirty... And what's worse I'm too much of a lazy bum to go back and fix it. *Sigh* **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 20<strong>

**Regaining Normalcy**

(-Ed-)

Ed snuggled closer to his pillow, reluctant to wake up. It was quite cozy. If he tried really hard maybe he could go back to sleep. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. Nothing could bother him in that moment. Not even the slight movement of his pillow…

_Huh?_

Ed pried his eyes open, thinking, _Pillows aren't supposed to move_.

He found his pillow was not really a pillow. Ed had been snuggling into Taylor, getting up close and personal. She lay on her back, deep in sleep. His arm wrapped over her stomach with her hand resting on his. His forehead brushed her cheek.

Ed felt heat rush into his face. They were so close. Their lips were but a breath apart. He was flooded with the memory of when he had met those lips with his own. Taylor's had been cold then from drowning. They wouldn't be now. They would be warm…and soft.

Flinching back, Ed nearly fell off the bed. He froze on the edge of it, afraid that Taylor would wake up. She didn't.

"Whew." Ed breathed. That had been a little too intimate. Not that he didn't like it. Ah! What was he thinking? _Think of something else, you pervert!_

Taylor murmured incoherently. Ed stared. She did it again… Was that _his _name he heard? No, what was he thinking? Like she'd really be dreaming of him.

That made him think of his dream from last night. He didn't remember most of it but he knew that it was set in Resembool. Al was there with him and they were kids. Their mom was alive and their house stood just as it had years ago. Ed and Al were rushing up the hill and as they did they got older. They were the same age as they were now when they reached the top. Their mom was still there but now Taylor stepped out from behind her. She smiled at them.

The dream was happy, unlike his usual nightmares. It enabled Ed to sleep soundly, peacefully. Last night, the last thing he had been aware of was Taylor singing to him. He had fallen asleep to the sound of her voice. Ed knew because of Taylor he was able to get such a restful sleep.

Ed watched Taylor for another minute. He couldn't have fathomed when he first met her how much she would come to mean to him. Ed cared a great deal for her. He had even admitted to her that he needed her. But he wished he hadn't and he wished he didn't, because Ed tended to lose the things he cared about.

Prying his gaze away from the sleeping girl, Ed left the room.

The living room was empty.

Looking around, Ed wondered aloud, "Where did Al go?"

In answer, the door opened and in he walked.

"Hey." Ed greeted him.

Al seemed startled, "Oh, you're up already?"

"Yeah." Ed said, watching his younger brother. There was something off about him. "Where did you go?"

Al laughed nervously, "Just out for a walk." Then he quickly changed the subject, "Did you sleep well?"

Ed couldn't stop his cheeks from coloring, "A little too well." Al cocked his head but Ed said, "Never mind."

A strange scratching noise interrupted their conversation.

Ed looked around, "What was that?"

Al stood still, "Um, I don't know. Hey, how's Taylor?"

The question caught Ed off guard and distracted him, "Oh, she's sleeping like a baby."

"So, there's no side affects?"

Ed raised an eyebrow, "Side affects?"

"You know, from dying?"

"Oh," Ed understood his meaning. "I guess not. She seemed fine last I checked. But I can't be sure since I'm not an expert on coming back from the dead. I'd still like to know how she did that." Ed had meant to ask her last night but she had seemed so fragile. He didn't want to push her when she had just survived through, not one, but two deaths. Besides, they had managed to get back on steady ground. Things were going good and he didn't want to spoil it. However, Ed's curiosity would not leave him be. He'd have to ask her eventually, and then she'd give him a vague answer. Like always.

"I know!" Ed declared, a plan forming. "How about you ask Taylor?"

"Me?" Al shook his head, "No, if you want to know so bad then _you _ask her."

"Come on, Al. I know you want to know too. And even if I asked her she wouldn't tell me."

"Then what makes you think she'd tell _me_?"

Ed patted his big shoulder, "Cause you're irresistible. No one can deny a sweet guy like you."

"But, what if she gets mad and attacks me?" Al asked worriedly.

Ed laughed, "Get real, Al. We're not talking about Winry here. This is Taylor. Taylor's not the violent type."

"She's kind of scary when she's angry." Al commented.

"She won't get angry." Ed assured him.

"Then why are you afraid to ask her?" Al challenged.

Ed opened his mouth but stopped and thought about it. "Good point." He had to admit, when Taylor got mad she became…intimidating. Yes, Ed was intimidated by a girl. Here he was trying to convince his little brother to take his place in questioning her because he was too much of a coward to face her himself. _Sigh. _Where was his manly side when he needed it?

Another strange noise sounded.

Ed's eyes darted around the room, "_What _was that?"

"I don't know, but I'll, uh, see you later Brother." Al said and hastily retreated.

"Where are you going?" Ed inquired.

"I've got…things to do." Then he rushed out of the room.

Ed stood there, watching the door swing back until it latched. _What's up with him?_

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I woke up, frightened out of sleep. I lurched forward, searching for danger. I found blank walls and harmless furniture. My eyes perceived that there was no danger, but the rest of my body didn't. My heart hammered in my chest as I breathed hard. The muscles in my arms and legs coiled, readying themselves for action. Any moment now something was going to jump out and-

The door began to open. I scurried back to the wall to get away.

"Taylor?" Ed asked as he came into view.

"Ed?" I squeaked. My muscles relaxed now that I wasn't alone. Ed was here. I was safe.

Ed assessed the fear in my eyes and quickly came over to the bed. He sat down across from me, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

I tried to speak but found I couldn't. I nodded instead, waiting for my heart to slow down to its natural rhythm.

Ed looked me over and guessed, "Bad dream?"

I nodded. I'm not sure what my dream consisted of. All I knew was that something was chasing me and I couldn't get away. Whatever it was it had caught me with its cold hands. I could still feel those hands on me. I shivered.

"Do you need anything?" he asked, getting up to retrieve whatever I needed.

Terror flooded through me at the thought of him leaving me alone. My hand latched onto his sleeve, "No! Please don't go. I…I don't want to be alone."

He took in my pitiful expression and eased back down beside me. He sat close to me, rubbing my back soothingly. "You're not alone."

Pulling my legs in, I put my face into my knees. I didn't want him to see me like this, vulnerable and afraid. But I didn't want to be alone either. All I could do was hide my face from him so that he couldn't see the weakness in my eyes. He could still see me shaking though. I didn't cry but my whole body shook violently. It was obvious I was a mess. Maybe me dying had been a little traumatizing. Last night I had taken things relatively calmly. This morning the shock had hit me out of nowhere and I was helpless against it.

Ed stayed beside me during my breakdown. He kept up the soothing circles on my back, even smoothing out my long hair. His touch worked wonders in calming me down. Slowly but surely, my shaking quieted to a slight trembling. Even that went away after a while.

With the worst of it over, I peeked up at Ed. He was gazing out the window. The glass let in rays of the morning's sunlight. They spilled into the room, reaching the bed where they fell across us. They landed on Ed's face and hair, making him appear more golden than usual.

I thought I would be too upset to feel embarrassed, but there it was. Embarrassment. My face flushed as I recalled my thoughts from last night.

Ed glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. Then he turned to me, "Better?"

I nodded tentatively and whispered, "Sorry."

"There's no need to apologize. You've been through a lot." The way he said it made me think he meant more than what happened yesterday. "I know it's been stressful on you. You don't have to hide it. You can stand to let what you feel show more."

I stared into his bright, golden eyes. "Does that go for you too?"

He blinked, surprised, "What makes you think I hide what I feel? I usually voice what I feel very loudly."

I shook my head, "I know the real you Ed. I know what you've been through and how much it takes for you to move forward every day. You put on your bravest face to make everyone think your okay but inside you're not okay. But you hope that if you act like everything is fine, then everything will be. I know that because I do the same thing."

He stared at me for awhile, letting my words sink in.

I continued, "I may not have experienced the horrible things you have but in the things I have been through I'd always put on my bravest face and take whatever comes my way. I'm not used to letting people see me like this." I looked away because I was ashamed. Why couldn't I be tougher than this? Why did I have to let this affect me so much?

"So you're saying you see right through me?" he asked.

I turned back to him. He seemed nervous by what I had said. "Don't worry." I assured him. "It's only because I know you so well. Other people can't see it like I can."

I don't know if that made him relaxed or nervous. We kind of just sat there for awhile in the awkward silence.

"Alright then." Ed said suddenly.

"Alright, what?" I asked, confused.

"I won't hide things from you and you'll do the same."

"…Okay." I agreed.

He raised his brows, "So that means no more secrets."

Crap. I should have known this was a trap. "Ed…" Double crap! Telling him my secrets would be bad. Not telling him would make him mad. I was screwed either way.

Ed raised a hand to stop me, "I know there are some things you can't tell me but as long as you tell me what's going on with you that's all I need to know. What I _want _to know, now that's a different story."

I grimaced. This was not going to turn out well. What to do, what to do… "Can this conversation wait until later?"

"I suppose. Why?"

I shifted, trying to come up with a way to stall the inevitable. "I'm, uh, hungry."

Ed smiled, "I'll go get us some breakfast then." He stood and headed for the door but hesitated. He looked back to me, unsure, "Uh…"

I understood. "I'm better now. I'll be fine here by myself until you get back." It took a little more encouraging on my part to convince him that I'd be okay but he finally left. As soon as he was gone I flopped back onto the bed and moaned. This wasn't going to turn out well.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I got antsy waiting for Ed to get back so I came up with an idea. It was probably stupid but I wanted to give it a try anyway.

I locked myself in the bathroom, materials set out in front of me. Using the ink from some pens I had found, I mixed it with water and put my hair in the mixture. My plan was to transmute purple streaks into my hair. I used to have some in my hair a long time ago and I thought it would make me feel better seeing something familiar like that. Ed had done something like this in the show and changed his hair color. I could make this work.

Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I was a novice at alchemy.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed walked into the living room with two plates full of food. "Sorry it took so long." he apologized. Then he realized Taylor wasn't there. She wasn't in the bedroom either. He sat the plate down on the coffee table wondering where she was when a high pitched scream broke the quiet.

Ed followed the sound to the bathroom and tried to open the door. It was locked. "Taylor?" Ed called.

Silence on the other side. And then, "Ed? Is that you?"

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"Um…"

"Open the door." he commanded.

Her reply was quick and unconvincing, "No! I'm fine."

"No you're not. You just screamed."

"Really. I've got everything under control."

"That's it!" Ed said, frustrated. He stepped back and kicked the door open. It swung out and hit the wall with a bang. He walked into the bathroom, scanning the room, "Taylor…"

Ed's expression blanked at what he saw. Taylor stood in the middle of the bathroom, wide eyed, and with purple hair. All of that long hair of hers…it was _purple_.

He busted out laughing. His whole body shook as he laughed and laughed.

"Don't laugh at me!" she yelled, which made him laugh more.

"What…did you…do to yourself!" he got out between laughs.

She pouted, "I was trying to put purple streaks in it but all of it turned purple. Now I look like a purple smurf."

"What's a smurf?" he asked, still amused. "Are they as funny looking as you are right now?"

Taylor's jaw dropped, "You're so mean!" She turned her back to him.

"I'm sorry." Ed touched her shoulder, trying to stifle his laughter.

She pushed him away, "No you're not, you jerk. You're making fun of me and what's worse my hair is going to be stuck like this forever."

"No it's not. I can fix it if you'd let me."

She turned to him, hopeful, "Really?"

Ed rolled his eyes, "Yes. I'm not going to leave you looking like a, what did you call it? A purple smurf?"

Taylor nodded and begged, "Please just fix it."

"Since you asked nicely," Ed grinned. He clapped his hands together and took the purple out of her hair.

"Is it gone? Is it gone?" Taylor rushed to the mirror. She gasped, "You left some streaks in it!"

"That's what you wanted, right?" Ed asked.

Taylor nodded, admiring her hair. There were three random pieces that were purple. They blended in nicely with the rest of her hair.

"Why'd you want to change your hair?" he asked, curious.

She shrugged, "I used to have streaks in it before I started to grow my hair out. I didn't think it'd backfire on me like that and it would all be purple. I tried to do it the way you did it but I guess I need to wait to be an alchemist hairstylist until I'm better at alchemy."

"What do you mean when I did it? I've never changed my hair." Ed said puzzled.

"Oh!" She turned to him with a shocked expression. "I…what I meant was…um…"

He narrowed his eyes, "Or am I going to in the future?"

Taylor fidgeted nervously, realizing her slip up. "I don't know."

"Yes you do." Ed eyed her. She bit her lip adorably… Adorably? Ed was not supposed to be noticing if she was adorable or not. He had to remain stern if he wanted to get information out of her.

"I…I'm not sure I should say anymore about that."

"It won't hurt anything." Ed tried to reason with her. "It doesn't even sound like it's a big event. You can tell me."

She deliberated, gaze shifting back and forth between the wall and a patient Edward. She finally sighed, "Fine."

Ed tried not to let his enthusiasm show but a smile betrayed him. At long last, Taylor was going to reveal a piece of the future.

Taylor frowned at him, "I'm going to change my shirt though since it's wet from when I ruined my hair."

"Okay." Ed agreed.

She stared at him. Then stared at him some more as if waiting for something. "Could you at least turn around?"

"Oh." Ed's cheeks burned red. "Uh, yeah. Sure." He turned his back to her and crossed his arms.

"No peeking." Taylor warned.

"I wouldn't peek!" he retorted, face becoming even redder.

Taylor didn't comment anymore on that matter. Ed listened as she rummaged around behind him. He attempted to pay attention to what she was saying rather than think about what she was doing.

"In the future, a lot of things happen and you end up having to go to… a place. But you can't go there as you so you have to wear a disguise. That's why you change your hair color…"

She kept on talking but Ed lost track of what she was saying when he realized he could see her in the mirror. She had her back turned towards him so that's all he saw of her but it was enough to perk his interest. Her shirt was gone and he could see the smooth expanse of her skin clearly. The black tattoos contrasted greatly with her pale complexion.

Ed's eyes were glued on her form. He had honestly meant to listen to her and not watch her but he couldn't look away from those tattoos. The lines and symbols connected to one another, flowing seamlessly up her arms, over her shoulders, and down the plane of her back. The patterns were laid so finely upon her in a stunning arrangement. Ed had seen similar circles to these but nothing as intricate as this.

He found himself turned around and gazing at the real thing. These circles fascinated him. What were they for? How did they work? These were the questions on his mind as he reached out and traced the tattoos with his fingers.

Taylor's reaction was immediate and _loud_. "Aaah! What are you doing?"

Ed stumbled back, coming out of his trance, "I, uh…"

"Get out!" she screamed, covering herself.

"Right." Ed nodded once and strode out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

_Why did I do that?_ Ed asked himself, smacking his forehead with his palm. _Now she's going to think I'm a creep and hate me! I guess I deserve it though._

Ed paced around the living room for a minute until Taylor came out. He blanched. Was it just him or were there flames of fury surrounding her?

"Edward." she spit out through clenched teeth. "I said…NO PEEKING!" She grabbed the closest thing next to her, which was a decorative vase, and hurtled it at him.

Ed ducked and scurried away as she threw another item at him. "I'm sorry!" His apology was answered with another object tossed his way. It hit him in the back and he fell to the floor. He quickly crawled on his hands and knees to hide behind the couch. He recalled his conversation with Al this morning. He shook his head. Taylor the nonviolent type? Yeah, right.

Taylor stepped around the couch, her face set with an evil determination, "I'm going to rip off your arm and _beat you with it_!"

Ed ran for his life, Taylor chasing him.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I chased after Ed with only one thing on my mind: _kill_.

I would have too if I could only get my hands on him. He was a slippery one though. He darted around the room, making it impossible to catch him.

Lucky for me I had tricks up my sleeve.

I stopped where I was and put my face in my hands and began to "sob". I heard Ed stop moving. He must have been watching me, wondering why I wasn't chasing him.

"…Taylor?" he asked, unsure.

I cried into my hands, putting on my best performance.

"Uh, Taylor. I'm really sorry." I peeked between my fingers and saw him moving towards me. "Really, really sorry. I didn't mean to."

_Didn't mean to? Whatever! I'm going to make you pay._

I waited until he was standing next to me. When he reached out to comfort me I made my move.

"Aha!" I cried, pushing Ed into the wall and transmuted the wall around him. The wood moved over a surprised Ed and successfully trapped him.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Ed squirmed.

"The big idea is _payback_!" I seethed.

"Come on! It wasn't that ba…Okay, maybe it was that bad but don't you think you're overreacting?"

"_Overreacting_?" I screeched. "You tried to see me naked you little pervert!"

"Who are you calling little?" Ed snapped.

"You!" I smirked. Then I danced while I sang, "_You're tiny and small. Never ever gonna get tall._"

"Shut up!" Ed roared as he fought to break free. He couldn't without help on my part and that was so not happening.

"You deserve it." I said, hands on my hips. "In fact, I think I'll just leave you here for the rest of the day."

Ed's eyes widened at my serious tone, "You can't do that!"

"Sure I can."

"But what if I need to go to the bathroom or eat? Huh? What about that?"

"You should have thought about that before you snuck a peek at me."

"What do you want from me?" he yelled. "I already apologized."

"I want revenge." I snapped back at him.

"Alright. You've had you're revenge. Now let me go cause I'm hungry and I want to eat the food I went and got that you can't have."

I smiled, "Oh, you mean this food?" I went over to the coffee table where Ed must have laid the food earlier. I picked up a cookie off of one tray and walked over to Ed. I stood in front of him where he could clearly see me. I raised the cookie to my mouth and bit off a chunk. Then I made a show out of savoring the taste of it.

Ed watched me with narrowed eyes, "You're cruel."

"And you're a perv!" I yelled and threw the rest of the cookie at his face. It hit him between the eyes.

"Ow!" Ed protested. "Couldn't you have at least aimed a little lower so I could catch it with my mouth?"

"I could always try again." I said. I went and got one of the trays. I stood a good distance across from Ed and began throwing pieces of food at him.

"Hey! Cut it out!" he said annoyed. Pieces of bacon and toast bounced off his face. This was fun. I got much enjoyment out of throwing food at him. Mwahahaha!

Ed couldn't dodge the food so instead he attempted to catch it with his mouth. He craned his neck this way and that to get the best angle. I found myself laughing, especially when Ed finally caught a piece of bacon in his mouth. The look of victory that crossed his face was priceless as he ate his prize.

"Why was there a cookie with all this breakfast food?" I asked.

He chewed and talked at the same time. Mr. table manners, he was not. "They had 'em, so I got one for you."

"Why?" I asked, eating a piece of bacon myself. Yes, it lessened my arsenal but I was hungry, and no one could resist bacon.

Ed swallowed, " Cookies always make people feel better."

I smiled. Then I remembered I was supposed to be mad at him but I couldn't shake off the happy feeling. I ended up doing weird facial expressions cause I was trying to frown when my face wanted to smile.

Ed grinned at my struggle, "Come on. You know you want to smile."

I frowned, then smiled, then frowned again. "Whatever." I said and looked away from him.

"Okay. Now that you've gotten all of your rage out can you let me down?"

"I should really leave you there."

"_Please_." he begged, exasperated.

I sat the tray down and walked over to him, "Fine. Just because you said please." I clapped my hands together and released him. "But if I ever catch you peeking at me again there will be no mercy next time. Understand?"

Ed gulped, "Yes ma'am."

The door opened and Al walked in. "Oh, good morning Taylor."

"Good morning, Al." I greeted him back. Ed just kind of stood there eyeing me with a fearful expression.

Suddenly, a strange noise filled the room.

"What was that?" I asked, glancing around for the origin of the sound.

"I don't know. I heard it earlier." Ed commented, looking around as well.

My eyes fell on Al. He was being unusually quiet…Oh!

"Al, can I speak to you outside real quick?" I asked.

He started to sweat (figuratively speaking), "Uh, why?"

"Just come on." I dragged him to the door that led out into the hall. I called back over my shoulder, "Ed. Won't you make yourself useful and clean up while we're gone."

"Do I look like a maid?" he snapped. "Besides, you made this mess when you were throwing the food at me!"

One look with my dagger eyes and he shut up and got to work.

In the hall, Al fretted, "Is something wrong Taylor?"

"I know you have a cat inside you."

Al gasped, "No I don't!"

A tiny meow echoed from him. I stared at him with my arms crossed, daring him to deny it again.

"Oh look. My stomach's growling."

I raised an eyebrow, "Uh-huh."

He sighed, "Alright. I confess. But she's just a little kitten. I couldn't leave her all alone."

"You know Ed won't let you keep a kitten."

"I know. But she was just so cute. Look at her." He began to pull out the critter in question.

I waved my hands in front of me to ward him off, "No! Don't show me!" It's not like I'm afraid of cats or offended by them or anything. It's just that I know if I got a good look at it I would instantly fall in love with its cuteness. Did I mention I have a weakness for cute things?

Al moved and I made the mistake of glancing at him. He was holding a ball of fur up for my inspection. It had orange fur, round eyes, and big ears. It stared at me. Then it's ear twitched as it let out a soft, "_Meow_."

My resolve crumbled. "_Awww_!" I took the kitty into my own hands and snuggled it to my face. "You're so adorable!"

"Isn't she?" Al agreed.

I rubbed my cheek against its soft fur as it purred. I talked to it in a baby voice, "I wuv you.! Yes I do!" It's amazing how a fluff ball of cuteness could make my mood change so drastically.

Al chuckled, "Now if only convincing Brother was this easy."

"We must convince him." I told the kitty. "Let's go, Al." I went back into the living room, holding the kitten close to me.

Ed had picked up most of the food when I ran up to him.

"Wha-" he began until I shoved the kitty in his face.

"Can we keep her? Can we keep her?" I begged.

Ed blinked rapidly, "A kitten?"

"Pleeeeeease?" I drew out the word.

Ed glanced at his brother, comprehending what was going on, "I'm guessing this was what was causing that strange noise earlier."

Al chuckled uneasily.

"Can we keep her? Can we? Can we?" I chanted.

Ed stood solidly, arms crossed, "No."

"But, _look at that face_!" I put the kitten's face directly in front of Ed's. Ed eyed it, his face betraying no emotion. Then the kitten licked him on the tip of his nose.

"That's playing dirty." he accused.

"Aww." I pulled the kitten back to where I could snuggle it again. I bounced up and down, "You're so cute."

"We can't keep her." Ed said.

"But she's so cute." I argued. "You can't say that she's not cute."

Ed groaned, "Yes, it's cute. But we can't keep a kitten."

"Pleeeeease!"

Ed face palmed, "You're worse than Al."

And with that, Al joined in with me. "Pleeeeeeease! Pleeeeeeease! _Pleeeeeease_!" Even the kitten started meowing as if she were begging too.

Ed turned around, plugging his ears, "You three are unbearable."

Then the door busted open and my worst nightmare flew into the room.

* * *

><p><strong>Think hard. You can probably guess who it is.<strong>

**If you recall a couple chapters back I mentioned something about Taylor throwing a cookie at Ed's face. I put it in there. It was too good to resist.**

**Also, I'd like to thank everyone for reading. And reviewing! Last weekend this story made it past the 100 review mark. I love reading the reviews so keep them coming!**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey guys! I'm back! It seems like this took me forever to write. There were a lot of ways I considered going with this chapter and at first I wasn't sure if this was good or not but now I think I like how it turned out. Tell me if it's good or not.**

**FYI: ****_Frog War _****is up and running! You know, that story I was going to write for my fans who reviewed this story that I was going to post last week but failed to? Yeah, it's up! Go check it out, ya know, after you read this new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own FMA**

**Claimer: I do own Taylor**

**Taylor: *walks in* "Excuse me?"**

**LeFay: "Nothing!"**

**Taylor: "What did you just say?"**

**Ed: "She just said that she owns you."**

**LeFay: *frowning* "Thanks a lot, Edo."**

**Taylor: "I thought we already went over this." *pulls out large blunt object***

**LeFay: *gulp* **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 21<strong>

**Explanation Time**

(-Taylor-)

Al and I were in the middle of begging Ed to keep a kitten when the door busted open and my worst nightmare flew into the room.

"YOUNG ELRIC BROTHERS! I AM HERE!" Armstrong bellowed, scaring us half to death.

All three of us reacted differently.

Me: girlish scream

Al: "Major!"

Ed: "Duck and cover!"

Ed actually dove behind the couch. The kitten hissed and jumped out of my arms and joined him. I would have hid too but I couldn't move my legs yet, frozen in surprise as I was.

Armstrong paused in the middle of the room to pose. I swear I saw pink sparkles around him. If I wasn't still in shock I would have slapped them all down with a fly swatter.

"M-Major?" Al started hesitantly. "What are you doing here?"

Ed poked his head up over the couch, "And why do you have to be so loud, damn it!"

"It is better to announce one's presence with authority!" Armstrong flexed his muscles. It was irritating but at least he hadn't stripped…yet.

"As opposed to knocking like a normal person?" Ed fumed. He stood but stayed safely behind the couch. "Why are you here?"

"Lt. Colonel Hughes informed me of your daring rescue for Miss Taylor. I must say how valiant you were to search to the ends of the Earth to find her and face down her captors! Such bravery would rival even the Armstrongs'! Speaking of her, where is the young lady?"

Before I could sneak away Ed and Al pointed in my direction. Armstrong whipped around to me with bright blue eyes, "There you are! But where did you come from?"

My eyebrows rose, "Um, I've been standing here the whole time."

Armstrong seemed surprised, "My apologies. I must have looked over you because of how tiny you are."

I snapped, "It's not my fault I'm this small!" Jeez, Amestris had it in for short people. I could finally understand Ed's pain. If I stayed here much longer I'd start spouting short rants of my own.

Ed snickered but became subdued when I shot him a death glare. He cleared his throat and talked to Armstrong, "So, was there something else you came here for, Major? Or is that it."

Armstrong considered, "I am curious about how far you've come along in Doctor Marcoh's notes."

Ed gasped, "You know about that?"

His reaction puzzled me. I thought Armstrong knew about the notes already and Ed and Al knew that he knew. Armstrong was even there when they met Marcoh… Then I remembered. Events weren't following the timeline exactly and things had been changed. Ed and Al had never met Marcoh. I had had to tell them about the notes to keep them on track. Armstrong hadn't been there when I revealed the information and Ed and Al apparently had never told him either. So how did he know?

Armstrong rubbed his chin in thought, "Yes. Hughes told me who was told by Colonel Mustang."

"The Colonel?" Al questioned.

Ed's eye twitched, "I can't do anything without him knowing about it."

"His research pertained to the Philosopher's Stone, did it not?" Armstrong asked.

The brothers' mood changed. They were probably remembering what went into making the stone. Even I sobered at the horrible thought.

"Yes." Ed answered.

"And have you discovered anything?"

"The stone requires human lives to be created." I blurted.

I don't know who was more astonished, Armstrong or Ed and Al.

"Taylor!" Ed and Al yelled at me while Armstrong stared at me.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Why did you tell him?" Ed asked, angry.

"He was going to find out anyway. Or was supposed to…I think." I searched my memory. Armstrong was supposed to find out in the show, right? I thought this was around the right time. I recalled him barging into the room in the same manner as now, crying over the truth of the stone which Ross and Brosh had revealed to him… Or was that in the Brotherhood series? Gah! Which series was I in again?

At that moment, Ross and Brosh poked their heads around the doorframe of the still open door. Their faces mirrored Armstrong's.

"Did you just say…?" Brosh trailed off, mouth hung open.

_Crap_, I thought. They hadn't known either. Did I just screw everything up?

"Edward." Armstrong said in a serious tone. "Is this true?"

Ed inhaled deeply, then exhaled in a sigh, "Yes. It's true." He spared me a glance that implied, _I am so going to get you for this later_, and pressed on. "But this doesn't change anything. We're not giving up. We'll find a way to get back to normal."

I glanced at the two soldiers at the doorway. They looked confused. Did they know about Ed's automail and Al's empty suit of armor? If not then would they ever? I couldn't remember exactly if they found out in the show or not. I should have rewatched the entire FMA series before coming here. But how could I have known that Amestris was a real place and that I would be sucked through the gate and get here?

"That is…" Armstrong began, head bowed. When he looked up there were tears streaming like a waterfall down his face, "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I HAVE EVER HEARD! EVEN AFTER RECEIVING DEVASTATING NEWS YOU'RE WILLING TO MOVE FORWARD! SUCH DETERMINATION IS INSPIRING!"

Then he flexed his muscles so much that his shirt ripped off of his body. I should have known that he couldn't stay clothed for a long period of time.

"BUT DO NOT FEAR! YOU DON'T HAVE TO CARRY THIS BURDEN ALONE! ALLOW OTHERS TO HELP YOU! LIKE ME FOR INSTANCE!I CAN HOLD UP THOSE BURDENS WITH THE SUPERIOR STRENGTH THAT HAS BEEN PASSED DOWN THROUGH THE ARMSTRONG GENERATIONS!"

He then tried to give Ed a bear hug.

"Stay away from me!" Ed yelled, running. He tried to hide behind Al but that only killed two birds with one stone. Armstrong encircled them both with his massive arms.

"Let go!" Ed cringed, fighting to break free.

Afterwards, when Armstrong had released them and stopped crying, things became serious once more.

"I'm going to have to ask you guys not to repeat what you've learned." Ed said to everyone.

Brosh and Ross nodded, still looking pale at the truth behind what they'd heard…Truth behind…Why did that sound so familiar? Oh! That was in the note Marcoh gave Ed! The truth behind truths. But since things were different Ed had never received the note. Which meant that he'd never read farther into this. I was going to have to give him hints.

"Ed." I began. All eyes fell on me. Because there were extra ears I was going to have to be careful about how I said this. "There's something I should tell you. There's more to this than meets the eye."

Ed stared at me suspiciously. Armstrong raised his bushy brows, "Does that mean you helped the Elrics' in their research?"

I grimaced, "Not exactly. There was something I…read…in the notes." I hoped I got my point across. Ed perked up, catching on. He knew I wasn't referring to the notes but to something from my side of the gate. "You have to find 'the truth behind truths'."

He frowned, "I thought we already found the truth."

"But not the truth behind it. This all goes back to Doctor Marcoh. Think on it."

Ed crossed his arms and deliberated. I could practically see his brain working as he processed this. It didn't take him long to see what I meant.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

A couple minutes later and the six of us were sitting around the coffee table. On the table was a map of the city. The conversation went about the same as it did in the show, though it was strange to see it firsthand instead of on a TV screen. They realized the corruption that had happened right under their noses and deduced that the fifth laboratory was the place where the stone's research was being held. Armstrong praised me greatly on how I had inferred that there was more to this. I smiled at him, glad that he hadn't grasped that I knew more than I should.

"We've got to check it out." Ed said resolutely.

"What!" Brosh said, surprised.

"Absolutely not!" Armstrong commanded.

"But-"

"Just leave this to us." Ross cut Ed off. "We'll investigate further into this. If we find anything we'll let you know."

He gazed into her somber eyes. Seeing that he wouldn't win this, Ed quickly surrendered, "Fine."

The three adults left soon after. Once they were gone I turned to stare at the brothers.

"What is it?" Al asked.

"When are you guys leaving?"

They gasped.

"How'd you know?" Ed asked.

I smiled, "I know you guys. You aren't going to sit still on this. You're going to sneak over to that lab and hunt for all its dirty secrets."

"You think we should just let the adults handle this?" Ed asked snidely.

I shrugged, "Do what you want. I'm not going to stop you."

Ed blinked, "Seriously? No 'Are you guys crazy!'? That's all you're going to say?"

"Yep."

"…Why?"

I snorted, "Do you want me to tell you that you're idiots? I know you are. You know you are. But you've already decided. And once you've decided there's no stopping you two. But are you sure you guys don't want backup?"

Al started, "You don't mean _you_ do you?"

I scowled, "And what would be wrong with that?"

"Uh, I just meant that it could be dangerous."

I shook my head, letting it slide, "No, I didn't mean me. I don't know how much help I would be. I'd probably just get in the way. I meant someone here at headquarters."

"You heard Armstrong and the others." Ed reminded me. "They don't want us anywhere near that lab. And in this kind of situation we don't know who else can be trusted."

I sighed, "I guess you're right. But still…I'm going to be worrying over you guys while you're gone. I'm probably going to have an aneurysm."

"We'll be careful." Al promised.

"Oh, I know _you_ will, Al." I stared pointedly at Ed.

"Don't give me that look." Ed grunted. "I'm the one who should be looking at you like that."

"Me? For what?"

"Don't give me that. You know exactly what. You have some explaining to do, missy."

"I do?"

"_Yes_." he nearly snarled. "Tell me how you knew about the fifth laboratory and everything else in general. And no vague answers this time."

"I told you. I'm from the other side-"

"But that's all you told us."

"Really?" I thought I had told them about the whole story thing from my side that was all about them. No, wait. That had been Al. I hadn't told Ed yet.

Ed thought I was being sarcastic, "Yes, really."

"Okay then." I crossed my legs into the couch, getting comfortable for my upcoming explanation. "On my side everyone knows about you guys."

"They do?" Ed asked, pushing his frustration aside and replacing it with fascination.

I nodded, "There's this story about you guys. It's called 'Fullmetal Alchemist', named after a certain young alchemist we all know. In the story you two are the main characters and it follows your lives as you seek to regain what you've lost."

Al laughed, shaking his head, "It figures that it would be named after Ed."

Ed gazed at me in wonder, "That's how you know everything about us and other stuff? From this book?"

"Yes." I didn't correct him and tell him that it was actually a manga. Nor did I go into detail about the anime series. It was less confusing that way.

Ed tightened his fist and became rigid, "Is that all we are? Fictional characters?"

"I…" I couldn't say anything to that. He had every right to be angry. I'd be mad too if I found out someone wrote a story about my life and people read it thinking I was something made up.

"We're real." Al said.

"Damn straight!" Ed shouted. "I can't believe people actually think our story is entertaining. I bet they read it and laugh their asses off!"

In a rage, Ed stomped out of the room into the bedroom, slamming the door behind him.

I stood to go after him but a hand on my shoulder stopped me.

"Al?" I questioned.

"Just give him some time." he told me. "It's a lot to take in."

"…Okay." I sighed. Alphonse knew Ed better than I did. They were brothers after all.

I heard a soft meow and looked down. A furry head poked out from under the couch.

Al chuckled and picked up the kitten, "So that's where you've been hiding. I'm sorry, but we can't keep you. But we can find you a home." He went to leave.

"Al." I stopped him. He paused to turn to me. "You aren't…"

"Mad?" he supplied the word for me. I nodded. "No."

"I thought you would be upset."

He petted the kitten as he considered. The kitten purred happily. "I'm not."

"Why not?" I asked, perplexed. Even for Al he was taking this too calmly.

"I've got this theory…" he trailed off, watching the kitten.

"And?"

"All of this just proves something."

"What does it prove?" I asked curiously.

"That our side of the gate and your side of the gate is more connected than we realized."

"Huh." I breathed, pondering. "I guess that makes sense. How else would someone from my side have written about this place? Maybe they've even been to Amestris before. Or they're from here." The possibilities were endless.

"Anything's possible." Al stated. "By the way, I like your hair." he commented for the first time on my new purple streaks. Then he waved and left.

I smiled.

_ Anything's possible_. I was filled with a sense of optimism.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

An hour passed. Neither of the Elric brothers showed their faces. Al must have been still searching for a home for the cute kitty. Ed must still be sulking in the bedroom or had fallen asleep. I doubted the latter.

I tried pacing. I tried sitting still. But I was too antsy. I needed be _doing _something. Not sitting around twiddling my thumbs, which can be fun at times. Have you ever twirled your thumbs around and around? It's kind of addicting.

I ended up resorting to my fail-safe plan. I picked up my flute and began to play. I went through a few warm ups and then went to a real song. I played one of the last songs I had played on my side of the gate. What seemed like years ago but had really only been about a month ago my high school band had performed our annual Christmas concert. We've never had a lot of people in band but the people we did have kicked butt! We rocked our concert and the memory of that night would always be dear to me.

The notes of _Greensleeves_ drifted through the air and I let myself get lost in the music.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed's thoughts were angry and snarled. He could not stop thinking about what Taylor had told him.

_A story_, Ed rumbled. _Those people think all of this is a story. If they only knew the truth…_

He buried his face deeper into the pillow on the bed where he lay. The more he thought about it the more frustrated he became. His emotions built up until he felt he was about to explode.

A noise filtered through his livid thoughts. The noise had been there for a while but he had only now just noticed it. Was that…music?

Curious, Ed sat up, gazing at the door as if he could see through it. The sounds drifted into the room, muffled by the solid wood of the door.

Irritation forgotten, Ed wandered over to the door. He laid his head against the wood, lining his ear up to the surface. He listened for a moment and distinguished that it was Taylor's flute. Taylor must have been in the other room playing it.

Ed stayed where he was and listened to the song. In the beginning, when Taylor had first gotten her flute, Ed had thought it to be pointless. But now, listening to the smooth notes he saw that he had been mistaken. The music was calming and dispelled Ed of his pent up resentment. It was an effective way of relaxing a person, this music. Maybe that's why Taylor loved the flute so much. It could get her through tough times calmly and rationally. It was better than storming off and sulking as he had done.

The song ended, much to Ed's disappointment. When the sound didn't start up again, he opened the door.

Taylor sat in a chair, holding her flute tenderly. She blushed and asked, "Was I bothering you?"

"No." Ed answered truthfully. He ambled over to the couch and laid down on the cushions. "Play another song."

Taylor said nothing more and complied.

(_Imagine pretty music here_)

"Hey Ed?" Taylor asked after the next song was over.

"Hm." Ed hummed a reply, eyes still closed from relaxing.

"I'm sorry."

He peeked out of one eye to stare at her, "What for?"

"I also thought you weren't real before I came here." she admitted sadly. "I didn't think you, Al, Amestris, any of this, could possibly be real."

Ed closed his eye and considered. He wasn't sure how to react to that so he thought about what Al would do instead.

_Think about the situation from her point of view_, his inner Al told him.

So he did. And he found himself thinking about it much more coolly than before.

"You couldn't have known." Ed was surprised to hear himself say. "Somehow, there's a book on the other side of the gate about this side. Who knows? Maybe there's a book about your side on this side. I can't hold it against you if you thought this was all fictional at one point."

A moment later and Taylor said softly, "I'm glad I was wrong."

Ed looked up at her. Really looked, this time with both eyes. The way she was gazing at him…he couldn't pin down the thoughts behind her expression but it made this weird sensation stir in his stomach. He looked away, blushing without knowing why.

"So when are you guys leaving?" Taylor repeated her question from earlier in the day.

"…We'll go tonight."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The night felt like a solid object as I pushed my way through it. The darkness surrounded me, nearly eclipsing the light from the street lamps. I raced blindly down the alleys of Central as I searched for someone, anyone, to help me. But there was no one. No one was there to help me. I was alone.

I stumbled over my own two feet and toppled onto the hard concrete. I fought to get back up, ignoring my limbs' screams of protest. I had already run far but I wasn't safe yet. I managed to gain a somewhat standing position as I staggered farther into the darkness…and into a wall.

I floundered, patting the wall. There were no door, no windows, only hard brick.

_It's a dead end_, I thought. I twisted around, my back pressed to the wall as I faced my pursuer.

He stepped out of the shadows, the scarce light catching his face. His features did not move. No amount of emotions displayed as he came closer. His eyes were like a bottomless pit…so empty.

He stood over me and I sank to the ground. Keeping him in my sight the entire time, too frightened to look away. I was too scared to do anything else. My whole body shook in terror.

He reached behind his back and grabbed hold of the hilt there and slid out a deadly looking sword. Its blade was sharp and glinted in the small amount of slight. He raised it.

I shut my eyes, thinking, _I'm going to die…again._

* * *

><p><strong>Jeez, I just love cliffhangers, don't I?<strong>

**See you guys next time.**

**Taylor: "I don't think there'll be a next time. It's payback time for those times you killed me!"**

**LeFay: "I-uh-um- Hey look! A squirrel!"**

**Taylor: *turns to look* "Where?"**

**LeFay: *sneaks away***

**Taylor: "Hey, there's no..." *realizes her prey has escaped* "Dang it. I fall for that every time."**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hellos! As an early Christmas gift I am updating early. I have also updated _Frog War_****and I have begun on a completely new story ****called_ Forsaken_. If you love me then you will check both of them out, after you read this chapter of course.**

**I must warn all of you though. Since I updated early I'm not updating this weekend. Sorry. But if I write a surplus of chapters I might update double the chapters next weekend.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 22<strong>

**Truth's Swordsman**

(-Taylor-)

_Present Time_

Night had come quickly and Ed and Al were about to leave to go investigate the fifth laboratory. They were going to crawl out of the window and sneakily make their way to the lab. I was to stay here and hold down the fort. I kept trying to convince myself that it was better this way. Who knew what would happen if I went with them.

As they began to leave I recalled something.

"Hey, Al."

He looked back at me, about to go out the window with Ed, "Yes?"

I hesitated. I wanted desperately to tell him not to doubt himself. That no matter what he heard tonight to trust in the bond he had with Ed. That Ed had always been his brother and always would be. That his memories were real and not lies.

But I couldn't. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to tell him. If I did, there was no telling how differently tonight would pan out. If I warned him, there could be extreme consequences.

"Never mind." I finally said.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah." I nodded. "You guys be careful."

"We will." they promised. They slipped out and were gone into the night. I stood at the window's opening and welcomed the breeze that rolled in. It was too cold but it fit tonight's atmosphere.

Leaving the window open, I went and sat on the couch.

I should have known that I wouldn't be able to sit there for long.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

_ What are you doing?_

_What does it look like I'm doing?_ I asked.

_It looks like you're being an idiot._

_Shut up!_ I shouted at my conscience. _I can do whatever I want so butt out._

_You're going to mess everything up, _the little voice warned me.

I groaned and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. My conscience was right. I was being stupid. There was absolutely no need for me to go to the fifth laboratory and yet, here I was, navigating through the streets of Central at night searching for it. More than likely, if I showed up there I was going to change the timeline and everything would get all wonky. But I couldn't just sit back at the dorm knowing Ed and Al were out here somewhere fighting for their lives. So I had snuck out after them with a map of the city to guide me to the lab. There was this niggling fear in the back of my mind telling me that events could have already changed from my interference and Ed and Al might die tonight. And it would all be my fault. But what if things were going to go exactly the same and then I showed up and ruined everything?

I whined and leaned my forehead against a nearby building. This sucked! For once I'd like to know what I should or shouldn't do. Have someone tell me, "Yes you should definitely do that." or "Are you crazy! Don't do that." Something, _anything_, to know that what I was doing was the right way to go.

I looked up into the night sky, "Come on, big guy. Give me a sign."

I waited but received no miraculous sign that said, "Go that way!" It would have been convenient but, of course, I was going to get no help on this one.

_Just turn back now and everything will be okay,_ my conscience told me.

_But what if it isn't? _I said back. _What if something horrible is happening right now to Ed and Al all because I came to Amestris and stayed with them? I'd never forgive myself._

_What if you going there does more damage than good?_

The thought struck me hard. I couldn't go through with this. I had to sit on the sidelines and not affect the timeline more than I already had. Didn't I?

"No, I can't." I spoke aloud. "I have to be there for them. I have to know they're okay."

I pushed away the voice of my conscience and studied the map I had brought with me. It wasn't that hard to figure out. It was just remembering where I was and following the directions on the map. I couldn't afford to get lost either. There weren't many people out walking about at this time of night and the ones that were didn't look all too friendly. I couldn't ask for directions from anyone. I had to do this all by my lonesome.

It was taking a long time to get anywhere. Central was a big city. Getting from point A to point B was not as simple as you'd think.

I was perhaps halfway there when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, telling me that someone was watching me. I stopped walking and scanned the street up and down. There was no one there.

"I'm being paranoid." I grumbled to myself. But the sensation would not leave me. There was a definite presence. I don't know how to explain it any other way. Someone, or something, was out here watching me.

I looked again, and this time, my eyes found him.

The man was standing across the street on the sidewalk where just a moment ago there had been nothing. He faced me and stared at me openly. He looked ordinary for the most part. He was on the tall side with broad shoulders. His dark hair was cut short and his face average with a blank expression. He couldn't have been any older than twenty. So, yeah, he was a pretty normal looking guy. What was not normal was the giant sword strapped across his back.

Fear skittered through my veins. For a moment, I couldn't find the air to breathe. This guy…he meant business. Just one look at him and I knew he could kill me in seconds. I didn't recognize him. I hadn't met him before and I was more than positive that I had never seen him in the FMA series. I would have remembered a guy like this. So what was he doing here? And why was he staring at me like that?

He stepped off of the curb and strode towards me. His hand reached back to settle on the hilt of his sword and I knew that once he was within striking range he would unsheathe it and use it on me. There was no one but us in this little slice of Central. I couldn't call for help. But I could run.

So I ran. My legs were shaky from fear, making it hard. I willed my legs to run straight, to not stop. I had to stay away from that man. Whatever he wanted with me, it wasn't to sell girl scout cookies.

I risked a glance back and could have slapped myself for how stupid that was. You're never, ever supposed to look back when you're being chased but I did it anyway. As expected, he was following me. He had increased his pace and was jogging easily after me. And he was gaining.

I turned back face forward. Clutching the map in a fierce grip, I raced down the sidewalk. I don't think I've ever run so fast before in my entire life. I don't think I'd ever been this scared before either. If I had only stayed back at the dorm I would never have been in this situation. I should have listened to my conscience. It was smarter than me.

The night felt like a solid object as I pushed my way through it. The darkness surrounded me, nearly eclipsing the light from the street lamps. I raced blindly down the alleys of Central as I searched for someone, anyone, to help me. But there was no one. No one was there to help me. I was alone.

I stumbled over my own two feet and toppled onto the hard concrete. I fought to get back up, ignoring my limbs' screams of protest. I had already run far but I wasn't safe yet. I managed to gain a somewhat standing position as I staggered farther into the darkness…and into a wall.

I floundered, patting the wall. There were no door, no windows, only hard brick.

_It's a dead end_, I thought. I twisted around, my back pressed to the wall as I faced my pursuer.

He stepped out of the shadows, the scarce light catching his face. His features did not move. No amount of emotions displayed as he came closer. His eyes were like a bottomless pit…so empty.

He stood over me and I sank to the ground. Keeping him in my sight the entire time, too frightened to look away. I was too scared to do anything else. My whole body shook in terror.

He reached behind his back and grabbed hold of the hilt there and slid out a deadly looking sword. Its blade was sharp and glinted in the small amount of light. He raised it.

I shut my eyes, thinking, _I'm going to die…again._

I heard movement and then the sound of something being struck.

I opened my eyes and looked to where I had heard the noise. The sword had pierced something but it wasn't me. The man had stabbed the map that was lying beside me. He lifted the sword, the map rising with it. He brought the blade towards himself and plucked the paper off of it.

Then he turned around to walk away, sword in one hand, map in the other.

"That's it?" I squeaked. I don't know what possessed me to ask it but I did.

"For now." he said, continuing to walk away. He rounded a corner and was gone.

I breathed heavily for several moments, trying to calm myself down.

"What just happened?" I asked aloud.

There were so many questions running through my mind. Who was that man? Why had he been chasing me? Why did he only take the map? What did he mean by 'for now'? Did that mean I would see him again? I sincerely hoped not.

Whoever he was, he didn't come back. Minutes passed I remained alone.

"I guess I'll just go back to what I was doing." I murmured.

Then I realized I wouldn't be able to find the fifth laboratory without the map.

"Damn it all!" I growled, my frustration getting the better of me. "Why me? Why does it always have to be me?" I was so sick and tired of being lost, chased, kidnapped, and hurt. Hadn't I filled my quota for bad things happening to me for one life?

My eyes began to water and I started crying right there. Maybe it was the fear getting to me, or just the exhaustion from the many awful things that had happened to me. Maybe I was missing the relative safety of my home and my family and friends. Maybe it was all of that and more. I couldn't decide which was the reason for these tears. I didn't bother to either.

I let myself cry until there was nothing left to cry anymore. Now I felt empty…cold…lonely…scared.

"Mom, what should I do?" I asked. Whenever I had been unsure of something my mom would always give me the perfect advice. She was always there for me. But she wasn't here now. I tried to picture her face and imagine what she would say to me now. Instead of her voice, I heard someone else's.

_You've got a good pair of legs. Get up and use them._

It was Ed's voice that echoed through my mind. Those were the words that he had told Rose in Lior.

_But what if I fall?_ I asked back.

He snorted, _Then just get back up and try again_.

"You're right. You're absolutely right." I said. I couldn't quit now. I had to keep moving forward. Nothing would change if I didn't. I could do this. I wasn't alone. Ed and Al were with me. They cared for me and I cared for them. If anything, I had to keep going for them.

I wiped the wetness from my face and stood. My legs wobbled but I stayed upright. I took one step forward. Then another. Pretty soon I was walking with purpose. I had to find that lab. I had to get to them and make sure they were okay.

I didn't have my map anymore so it was going to be next to impossible. I could barely remember anything from it so my memory wasn't much help. If only I had been born with a photographic memory.

Half of me wondered if this had been the sword guy's plan all along. To keep me from finding the lab. I don't know why he didn't want me to go there but he had succeeded in delaying me. The other half of me was wondering where the stupid lab was.

"This is hopeless." I said an hour later. I had been trudging down street after street and still I couldn't find the godforsaken lab. I even started to believe that it was hiding from me.

_Boom!_

"Gah!" I blurted, surprised. I searched frantically for the origin of the explosion I had just heard. Past many buildings and streets was a smoke cloud, rising to the sky and barely distinguishable from the darkness of the night. I narrowed my eyes at it, questioning what had caused the explosion.

"Could it be…" my words trailed off. I sprinted in the direction of the smoke cloud. It was a good distance away and I kept running down dead ends and getting lost but I kept going. I'm not sure how long it took me, ten, fifteen minutes, but I eventually reached my destination.

I skidded to a halt when the building came into view. _The fifth laboratory_… There were people swarming the premises, all of them wearing blue military uniforms.

_I'm too late_…

I jogged over to the building. I was stopped by an officer before I could get too close though.

"Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to stay back." the woman told me firmly.

"But-" I cut off. There was nothing I could possibly say to gain access to the building. I was just a civilian after all. I had no business here. If they only knew.

I heard someone shouting above all the other people. I turned to look and found a familiar face.

"Hughes!" I cried.

That did the trick. He stopped giving orders and searched for who had called for him.

"Over here!" I called, waving my arms.

He recognized me and swiftly walked over to me.

"Sir?" the officer asked uncertainly.

"I'll handle this." he assured her. "Go help the others."

"Sir, yes, sir." she saluted and scampered off.

"Care to explain what you're doing here?" Hughes asked me, face set grimly for once.

"Ed. Al. Where are they?" I asked, still panting from all the running I had done tonight. Had I mentioned how much I despise running?

His eyebrows shot up as he caught on quickly, "You knew they were here. Didn't you?"

I nodded, "Are they okay?"

He sighed, "Yeah. Ed's a little worse for wear so they had to take him to the hospital but he'll pull through. Al's with him."

I exhaled in relief. _They're alive…_

"They told you what they were planning?" he asked, watching me with his sharp gaze.

"Yes." I admitted reluctantly.

Hughes shook his head in exasperation, "Did it ever occur to you to stop them?"

I rolled my eyes, "I couldn't stop them if I tried."

A small smile lit Hughes's face, "I guess you're right. But if you knew you should have told someone. I already told those boys they need to stop doing things on their own. They never listen."

"I'm sorry." I apologized.

He grinned at me, and to my surprise, patted my head, "That's okay kid. They're alive and that's all that matters."

I looked up at him shyly. The way he was acting, it was just so fatherly. My father had never been around much, even before he had left. So I wasn't used to this kind of interaction. It made me wish I had a real father.

He withdrew his hand but kept the smile, "I bet you're anxious to see them. I have to get back to work but I can get you an escort to the hospital."

I brightened, "Thank you!"

"No problem." he assured me. "Just be sure to knock some sense into them for me when you see them."

"Okay." I promised.

* * *

><p>(-Truth-)<p>

"I assume it went well?" Truth asked.

The man stepped through the gate and tossed the bundle of paper at Truth's feet, "Yes. She was unable to get to them in time."

"Very good." Truth complimented him. "I'm surprised really. You held yourself back."

The man appeared unconcerned, "My task was to only make things more difficult for her. I did that with the least amount of effort on my part."

"That you did." Then Truth smiled widely, "But I have a feeling that the fun is just beginning."

* * *

><p><strong>Taylor has been struggling to follow the timeline for so long now and she's finally starting to stray from it. Truth is scheming and now this mysterious man is showing up. Hmm...<strong>

**Remember you guys! Reviews are appreciated!**


	23. Chapter 23

**In this chapter I'm changing it up a bit. I've decided to blend some of the Brotherhood aspects with the first anime. This will be very important later on.**

**I've updated on other stories so please check them out. I've also changed my profile picture. I don't know if it's changed yet but it's a picture I drew of Ed. It's so cute! I showed it to my grandma and she laughed. I asked her "What?" And she said, "He looks like a dork." …My grandma can be so cruel**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this. I heart my new editor!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 23<strong>

**Tears And Doubts**

(-Taylor-)

True to his word, Hughes got me an escort to the hospital. I was driven there in a military car by two officers. They had introduced themselves to me but I had already forgotten their names. My thoughts were solely focused on Ed and Al.

They dropped me off at the hospital and bid me farewell. They drove off and I entered the hospital.

Like any other hospital I had seen, this one had nurses, doctors, and patients running about. For a moment, I could almost picture myself in an ordinary hospital back at home. It was almost as if I could pick up a phone and dial the number to my house and ask my mom to come pick me up. The surreal feeling had me standing in the middle of the lobby, dazed. A passing nurse stopped by me and asked if I was well. I shook off the odd feelings and told her I was fine but needed to know where Ed's room would be. She went to the nurses station to check some charts and told me that Ed was still being examined and that I'd have to wait for now. I thanked her and went in search for Al.

I found him pretty quickly. It's not that hard to find a suit of armor in the middle of a hospital. He kind of stuck out like a…well, a suit of armor in a hospital. He sat in a chair, head bowed in thought.

"Al." I stood in front of him.

He glanced up at me, "Taylor? What are you doing here?"

"Hughes said that Ed was hurt. I was worried about you guys. How are you doing?" Then I could have smacked myself for how stupid a question that was. His brother was in the hospital and they both had been through hell tonight. My guess was that he wasn't doing so hot.

He avoided eye contact, "I'm fine." The way he said it, I knew he wasn't.

I sat down in the chair beside him. We fell into an uneasy silence. The people around us continued to bustle down the hall like busy little bees. I watched them come and go.

I broke the silence first, "I followed you guys."

Al looked up at that, "You did?"

I nodded and smiled, "But I got lost trying to find the stupid lab and didn't make it until after all the action was over."

"Oh." Al said, not laughing with me.

My smile faded. I didn't like this Al. Al had always been optimistic and kind. This Al was quiet and withdrawn. There was nothing more I wanted right now than to cheer him up. But I wasn't the one who could offer him the words of comfort he needed. The one he needed was his brother.

We didn't say anything more after that. I considered many times if I should tell him about the mysterious man that had chased me earlier. This man, he had come after me, had purposely delayed me in getting to the lab, and had promised to return. I had no idea who he was or what he wanted with me. Perhaps I could confide in Al and Ed. They might be able to shed some light on this. But something told me that they wouldn't know anything about this. That this had something more to do with me than them. Now, if I could only figure out what this guy wanted with me in the first place!

At some point I had begun to doze off. Al gently shook me, bringing me to my senses.

"What?" I asked confused.

"The doctor's back." Al pointed out.

I sat up straight as the doctor approached us. He told us that Ed was recovering nicely and that we could visit him. I thanked the doctor and he went on to his other patients.

I looked to Al who stared at me.

"You can go see him." Al told me.

"You sure?" I asked. "You don't want to go see him?"

He turned his head away, "I'll go see him later."

Underneath that careful composure of his there was a hurting soul. The confrontation with Barry had left him with doubts about him and Ed. Right now, he questioned whether he had existed at all, if Ed had created him, if they were really brothers. And most importantly, he feared that Ed had lied to him, that all of his memories were a lie. These questions were killing him inside. Al was in pain.

And what did I do about it? I turned my back to him and walked away. It wasn't my place to wash away his doubts. Even if I told him the truth, he may or may not believe me. And yet, the one he needed to hear the truth from was Ed. But still, I hated myself for every step I took away from him.

I didn't realize I was crying until I entered Ed's room. Ed lay in a bed in the middle of the small room. He was covered in bandages and looked absolutely fragile in his sleep. His hair was splayed out in tangles and his bangs drooped over his pale face. There were bags under his eyes. A few shallow cuts could be seen on his exposed skin. He had been through a lot tonight.

My blurry sight took in his sleeping form. _He could have died tonight_, I thought. _Both of them could have died. And I would have blamed myself, cause it would have been my fault. I should have went with them. Screw the timeline. From now on, I'll make sure they're safe. I'll keep them from getting hurt next time, even if it means messing with the order of events._

I pulled up a chair close to his bedside. I took hold of his flesh hand, watching his face for any signs that he would wake up. He didn't stir.

"I've got to try harder." I told him. "I've been trying all this time not to screw things up for you guys but I just seem to make things worse. If I had been with you guys tonight then maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place. Maybe Al wouldn't be all depressed right now. Or if I had just told you beforehand then maybe all of this could have been avoided."

Ed didn't respond to me. He breathed deeply with sleep. I watched him, wishing that his eyes would open so I could see those golden irises. That he would wake up and talk to me.

"But I've been afraid. I'm still afraid. I don't want to be the cause of your pain…" I let the words drift in the air. If I was serious about disregarding the timeline then I could end everything. My intentions may be good but that didn't mean it was the best decision.

I laid my head down on my arms on the bed, keeping my gaze on him. I would wipe the tears away every now and then but more just kept coming. It was all I could do to not outright sob. That might actually wake Ed up but he needed his well earned rest.

"I can't let this happen again." I would try with all my power to protect Ed and Al. Even if that meant going against the timeline. I wasn't stupid though…most of the time anyway. I wasn't going to mess anything big up. But if there were times like these where I could keep them from getting hurt then I would. And I would not let myself feel guilty for not saving them. Not when my conscience would feel even worse for standing aside and not doing anything.

"I'll do everything in my power to protect the both of you next time. I promise." I vowed.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Edward awoke to bright light hitting his face. He pried his eyes open to find that it was sunlight. It streamed in through a nearby window.

_Morning…_Ed thought. Then he recalled last night's events and sat up with a start. Parts of his body screamed in protest as the movement caused his wounds to pull painfully. Ed winced and held his shoulder.

"Careful." a voice told him. "If you move too fast you might open your wounds."

Ed looked around for the familiar voice and found the speaker, "Al."

Al nodded to him, standing by the door of the small room. "How are you feeling?"

Ed thought about it. He felt like crap but he couldn't let it show in front of Al. He pasted a smile on his face and said, "I've had worse."

Al studied him, "You want me to get the doctor?"

Ed realized that they must be in a hospital. It figured. "No, I'll be fine. I'd rather hear about what happened to lab five."

Al stayed still, unspeaking.

"Al?" Ed asked unsurely.

"It was destroyed." Al finally said. "There were explosions from somewhere inside the building and we barely managed to escape. We brought you here afterwards."

"We?"

There was a smile in Al's voice, "It didn't take long for Brosh and Ross to figure out where we went."

Ed grimaced slightly. He was in for a lecture, he just knew it.

"How did it go inside?" Al asked.

"Hm?" Ed looked up from thought. "Oh, about the same as you I guess. We know for sure now that we were right though."

Al stared at him wordlessly as if waiting for some bigger explanation.

"What?" Ed asked, puzzled.

Al seemed to consider but then shook his head, "It's nothing. Just thinking. I'm going to go out for awhile. You guys get some rest."

"What do you mean?" he asked about Al's use of plural words.

Silently, Al pointed to the space next to Ed. Ed followed the gesture and found Taylor. She was asleep, sitting in a chair with her head resting on her arms on the bed. Ed hadn't noticed her before because she made absolutely no noise in her slumber.

"She's been here all night." Al informed him. Then he breezed out of the room.

Ed watched in concern as his brother left. He was acting odd. Something must have been bugging him. And it must have been bad if he didn't want to tell his own brother.

Ed tore his eyes away from the closed door to look back down at Taylor. She seemed so peaceful in her sleep. Ed raised his hand and brushed the hair out of her face. She stirred, causing Ed to freeze.

Taylor murmured groggily, "Don't want to go to school today. Too tired."

Ed laughed softly at her, "Who said anything about school?"

Taylor drug her eyelids open and blinked at him blearily. It took her a minute but when she recognized him she shot up in her seat, "Ed! You're awake!" Then she unexpectedly hugged him.

"Ow. You're squeezing too tight." Ed complained.

Taylor sat back down, "Sorry. I was just so worried. Are you alright? Are you hurting?"

"I'm fine." he mumbled, trying to rid his face of the blush she had caused.

"Liar." she accused. "You're all wrapped in bandages. How is that fine?"

"It could have been worse." Ed said as an excuse. He thought maybe that would help but it seemed to have the opposite effect. "Uh, Taylor?"

Her usually bright green eyes turned dark and sad. She gripped her own wrist as if in guilt, "I know. I should have went with you guys. Then maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Ed shook his head, "You know as well as I do what a bad idea that would have been. You're not exactly an experienced fighter, although you can be scary at times." he tried to smile. "But I would have been distracted the entire time if you would have went. I'd be concerned with protecting you. No. It's good that you weren't there."

"I…went after you guys last night." she admitted.

A spark of anger flared in him, "Why'd you do a stupid thing like that? You could have gotten hurt."

She grimaced, "I didn't even get a chance to because I lost the stupid map and got lost and didn't even find the freaking lab until Hughes and all the other soldiers had gotten there."

Ed's expression went blank, "You…got lost?" She nodded. A laugh erupted from Ed.

Taylor frowned, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Ed said then laughed again.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Yes, we all know how incapable Taylor is. Can't even go through Central without getting lost." Taylor remarked sarcastically.

Ed couldn't stop himself from imagining Taylor running around Central, lost as can be. "That's rich."

Taylor glared at him, "You're imagining me lost, aren't you?"

He stopped and lied, "Nope." Taylor sighed. Then he got back to business, "But seriously. You shouldn't have come after us in the first place. What if you had gotten hurt?"

"By who? The homunculi? I'm pretty sure most of them were with you last night."

Ed sucked in a breath, "So you know about that too huh?"

Taylor averted her eyes but then looked back at him. She nodded.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I really should stop being so surprised." Then he thought about it harder. "Hey! You could have warned me about the booby traps, you know."

Taylor's eyes widened and then she laughed, "In all honesty, I had forgotten about them."

"Great." Ed huffed.

Taylor quieted, crossed her arms, and became lost in thought. Ed watched her, waiting for her to say something but she was thinking really hard about whatever it was.

"What is it?" Ed finally asked.

She uncrossed her arms and stared at Ed, "Was Scar there last night?"

"Scar?" he exclaimed. "Why would Scar be there?"

"To try and kill you." she explained. "He really wasn't there?"

Ed shook his head. "Are you saying that he was supposed to be?"

"I…don't know. It could be that…"

"What?" he asked, impatient.

"I think I need to think it over." Taylor got up to walk out.

Ed caught her arm, "Wait. What is it you're not telling me."

Taylor took a deep breath and looked back at him, "I'm not sure which story I'm in anymore. And I can't really explain it to you because if I do it might change something. And it's just too confusing. It would be better if I didn't say anymore about it."

Ed thought about it and let her go.

Taylor didn't expect him to react so calmly, "You're not mad?"

"You're right. There's some things that we shouldn't know about. The future being one of them. Although I am curious, this is the way it should be. And I know how hard it is for you to know all of this and want to help but at the same time you can't tell us about any of it. So all I can do is trust you Taylor."

She gave him a dazzling smile, "Alright then. I'll be back after I go call Winry."

"Wha-Why?"

Taylor laughed, "You're arm's not going to fix itself." Then she left.

Ed scowled down at his busted right arm, "Winry's going to kill me when she gets here."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

_What is going on?_ I asked inwardly. Here I thought I knew what series I was in. Sloth was Ed and Al's mother. That should be proof enough. But in Brotherhood Scar never shows up at the lab. And who knew what happened in the manga. I never read any of it but maybe I should have. Could the events have changed again? Could it have been because of me or was this like with Doctor Marcoh? I'm positive I had nothing to do with that and yet, Ed and Al had never met him. But he was murdered, like in the first series. He only lived in Brotherhood.

"Grr!" I cried in frustration, earning me a few strange glances from the hospital personnel. I ignored them and went on my way.

This was confusing enough. And to top it all off there was a new character in the mix. Mr. I've Got A Big Sword And Like To Steal Maps. I considered telling Ed about him but I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach. This guy was only here because of me. I don't know why he was after me but he was.

I scratched the back of my head, a headache forming as I tried to line up the pieces of this scrambled puzzle. Perhaps things were different because this was reality, not the anime or the manga. The same rules might not apply. So that meant anything could happen.

"Fml." I muttered.

I found Al eventually. If it was possible, he was even more depressed than before. I felt a pang in my heart. It was so hard to ignore his pain but I knew that's what I had to do. I casually asked him what the Rockbells' phone number was and he told me. He didn't even ask me why I wanted to know. Either he knew why I would need to call or he just didn't care. I couldn't tell. He wouldn't even look at me. And that sent me over the line.

"I know you're confused right now, Al. But you'll have to ask Ed if you want to find the answers. Listen to him."

I ran off to find a phone before I could blurt out something I'd regret. Winry was the one who picked up the phone. She was appropriately surprised to be hearing from me. I told her that Ed's arm needed fixing.

"Sounds about right." she said.

"What was that?" I asked with a smile.

"Nothing! I'll be there as soon as I can. See ya." Then the line went dead.

I hung the phone up, chuckling, "Don't forget the screw this time, Winry."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Winry arrived the next afternoon. I spent a lot of time hanging out with Ed in his hospital room. Al kept his distance. Ed asked me once if I knew what was wrong with Al. I just shrugged and told him that Al just needed some time. That when he was ready he'd confront him about it. That didn't make Ed feel much better. Hughes came by at one point to talk serious business with Ed and Al. I had to leave the room while they discussed what went on in the lab. I already knew what had happened but Hughes didn't know that. The hours passed more strained than I would have liked and it was a relief when Winry got there.

"Hey." I greeted her when she walked into the hospital. I had been waiting for her in the lobby and now stood up to talk to her.

"It's been a while Taylor. Wow! You changed your hair! It looks great."

"Thanks." I said, tugging at said hair.

Then she smiled ruefully, "Here I thought that you would be a good influence on those guys but Ed still ends up in the hospital."

I waved my hands in front of me, "I'm trying. But I don't have a nifty wrench like you do to keep them in line."

She laughed and we began walking to Ed's room.

"So, forgot the screw didn't you." I couldn't resist saying.

Winry squeaked and froze mid-step, "H-how did you know?"

I grinned, "Don't worry. I didn't tell Ed. It'll be our little secret."

She scanned me over as if this were the first time she'd ever seen me, "I didn't think you knew that much about automail."

"Oh I don't." I said, which confused her. "I'm just good at guessing."

"I see." she said warily.

We arrived at Ed's room. I stopped outside and Winry hesitated, "You're not going in?"

I shook my head, "I'll leave you to work you're magic."

She took the hint and went on inside. I was trying to give them a bit of privacy and I didn't want to intrude. But it kind of made me sad at the same time. I'm not sure why.

I went to find a chair to sit in and mule over my feelings. Why did Winry's presence make me feel like this all of a sudden? I thought it was a good thing that she was here. But now I feel sad and…was that jealousy? It was! I was jealous! Of Winry. It wasn't fair of me either. I had no right to be. But there I was. Sulking.

It was obvious in the show that Ed and Winry were meant to be together. I had always thought that they looked cute together. But now that I was here, it was different. I had…feelings for Ed. I couldn't deny it anymore. I had tried to when I first realized it. Eventually I would have to go home. I was never meant to come here in the first place. Ed and I had no future together. And yet, those feelings were there, in my heart. Every time I saw him I got this warm feeling. It was so easy to smile when I was around him. I doubted he felt the same way about me though. I was just a friend he hadn't known for long. He had grown up with Winry. She knew him inside and out. I thought I did too but I couldn't touch what Winry and Ed had. They should be together.

Then why did the thought make me want to cry?

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I stayed out of the room. I kept to the hall right outside. I wasn't too bored. I had a never ending stream of thoughts to keep me occupied. It was later in the afternoon when there was yelling from inside the room. I came out of my thoughts and listened. It sounded like Al.

Not too long after that the door opened and out walked Ed. I watched him but he barely noticed me. He turned down the hall and walked away. I knew that he was going to the roof.

I could see into the room now. Winry was talking to Al. Well, more like chewing him out. It went exactly how it did in the show. Winry told Al that what Ed had wanted to ask him all along was if he hated him. She was crying and ordering him to go after his brother. Al obeyed and left swiftly. He ran out of the room, giving me a glance. I pointed in the direction Ed had gone and he nodded, following my gesture.

Winry came out next, wiping her face. She saw me sitting there and sat beside me with a sigh, "Honestly, I don't know what to do with those idiots."

"They may be idiots but at least they're you're idiots." I joked.

"You mean _our _idiots." she corrected.

A genuine smile pulled at my lips, "Our idiots. Heh, then I guess we need to train them better."

She smiled with me, "I'll let you borrow one of my wrenches."

We chatted good naturedly with each other until Ed and Al came back. They appeared to be in much higher spirits than when they had left. It made me smile, knowing that some things would work themselves out at least.

Later on, Hughes stopped by again to see how Ed was doing. He told him that it looked like Scar had fled Central and that Ed no longer required bodyguards. Ed was ecstatic about that. However, he was not ecstatic about the pictures Hughes began shoving in his face. I thought it was funny, until Hughes turned on me.

"How about you girls come meet my darling daughter." Hughes suggested.

Winry and I glanced at each other uneasily, "Uh…"

"It's her birthday tomorrow! We're throwing a party for her today and the more guests the merrier!" He proceeded to dragging us away.

"It was nice knowing you." I called back to Ed and Al. They waved at me with smiles as I was pulled away to my doom. Glad to know they cared.

But as we left the hospital, I couldn't help but think that I was forgetting something. Something important

* * *

><p><strong>As of now I'm working on the next chapter. I'm almost done with it and after it's been edited I hope to post it this weekend perhaps.<strong>

* * *

><p>.<p> 


	24. Chapter 24

**I AM SO SORRY! I really wanted to update last weekend, I really did, but then I got sent to a mental hospital and was trapped for _eight days_. And no, I am not kidding. I was just released yesterday and have been working to update ever since. And just a reminder to you lovely folks, don't let people think your depressed. You do not want to be taken away to a mental hospital. The nuthouse is not a fun place. It is creepy and boring. The one I went to looked like an elementary school from hell.**

**So, without further adieu, here's chapter 24. Enjoy!**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing this. I heart my editor!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 24<strong>

**Birthdays, Cakes, and Surprises**

(-Taylor-)

The Hughes' house was exactly like it was in the FMA show, only…with more children running about. Seriously, there were about a dozen four year olds all under one roof and all of them must have been given a large dose of sugar before they got there cause they were bouncing off the walls. Then, to make matters worse, they were all given birthday cake. Yeah, these kids had enough energy to light the whole state of Texas.

I do admit though, meeting Mrs. Hughes and Elysia was a real treat. Mrs. Hughes seemed like the perfect mother and Elysia had to be the cutest little girl I had ever seen. Now I know why Hughes always went bonkers over her. When I introduced myself to her she repeated my name in that adorable little voice of hers and it was just so dang cute!

The birthday party went on and Winry and I felt out of place for a while but we quickly fell into the festive mood. But I could tell that underneath Winry's smile she continued to worry about Ed and Al. I didn't know what to say to make her feel better because I had the same worries. Winry only began to truly lighten up when Hughes talked to her.

I was sitting across the room playing with Elysia on my lap. She had fallen completely in love with my hair and had the urge to tug on it and such. I didn't mind too much. I looked up for a moment to see Winry by the food table with a sullen expression. Hughes sat by her and began talking to her. I couldn't hear what he said but I didn't have to. I already knew the advice he was giving Winry and it made me happy to see her spirits lifted because of it. I smiled and nudged Elysia to go over to them. She went and I could hear her voice clearly as she said to Winry, "Congratulations! Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Overall, the evening was a nice event. After the party, both Hughes and his wife insisted that we stay for the night. Winry and I could hardly object, especially when Hughes brought out the pictures. When the night turned late Winry and I headed for our room to go to sleep. But we didn't quite get around to going to sleep. We began talking like old friends. It was amazing how easy it was to get along with her.

"The Hughes' are such nice people, don't you think?" she asked me as we lounged on a bed.

"I'll say. Elysia is such a cutie! But I wonder if she's going to grow up as crazy as her dad."

Winry laughed, "He is quite a character. But there's no denying he's a good father." She got this look on her face and I knew she was remembering what he told her earlier.

"Yeah." I smiled. "Seeing them, makes me miss my family." Thoughts of mom and Joeli and even my dad flooded my mind. My dad may have been out of the picture for a while now but there had been a time when all of us had been together. We had been happy. We had had birthday parties like the one I saw today. Seeing the Hughes' made me miss all of them terribly.

"So, what about your parents?"

"What?" I responded, pulled out of my reverie.

"You've never said anything about your family." Winry explained.

"Oh. I live with my mom and younger sister-"

"You have a sister!" Winry squealed with starry eyes. "I've always wanted a little sister. I'm so jealous!"

I groaned, "If you knew my sister you would be regretting those words."

"You sound like she's a pain."

I pulled a pillow over my face and moaned, "She is a pain." After a moment I peeked out from under the pillow, "But she's my sister and I love her."

"Where do they live?"

I plucked at the pillow to keep my hands busy as I explained, "They live far away. Like, _way_, far away. I used to live with them before a bunch of mess started. I met Ed and Al and they've been helping me ever since."

"Where'd you meet them."

"Near a train wreck."

She gasped, "You mean Ed was being serious? I thought he was just being a jerk and not telling me."

I laughed, "Nope. He was telling the truth. Speaking of Ed," I got this devious look on my face as I went on, "I wanted to ask you a question about him."

"What is it?" Winry cocked her head to the side.

"Do you like him?"

"Like him as in _like _him?" she asked. I nodded. She got this blank look on her face. Then she busted out laughing. "That is the funniest thing I've ever heard!"

"So, it's not true then?" I asked surprised.

Winry stifled her laughter, "Of course not. Ed, and Al, have been like brothers to me for my entire life. And besides, Ed's too much of an idiot for me to ever consider him in a romantic way. Plus, I like my men taller than me."

I giggled. Who would have thought Winry had no interest in Ed? A lot of Edwin fans would be disappointed to hear this.

Now it was Winry's turn to get an evil smirk, "Is there a reason why you wanted to know?"

I waved my hands innocently, "No! I was just wondering is all."

"Give it up." she chuckled. "You like him, don't you?"

I shook my head but a blush betrayed me. Grr, stupid cheeks.

Winry laughed at me, "Sure you don't. That's why you're blushing?"

I covered my face with my hands and whined, "Is it that obvious?"

"Ha! I was right!" she cried in victory at my surrender. "Have you two gotten together while I wasn't looking?"

"No! We're not like that! We're just friends."

"But you want to be more, right?"

Her question threw me off guard. It was true. I did want to be more than Ed's friend. But I couldn't. I wasn't even meant to be here in the first place. "I can't."

"And why not?" she inquired.

"It's wrong."

She giggled, "I know Ed can be hard headed sometimes but for the most part he's a good guy. If you really feel that way about him you should tell him."

I glanced up at her from where I had hidden my face in my hands, "You…think I should?"

"Totally! He could use a sensible girl like you who could keep him out of trouble." Her face got grouchy then, "He's always getting into trouble."

Did my ears deceive me or was Winry Rockbell actually encouraging me to get together with Edward Elric? This was too weird.

"But what if he doesn't feel the same way?" This was the question that came out of my mouth. There were no thoughts in that moment of whether or not it was right for me to like Ed and want to be with him. All I could do was wonder if he could possibly feel for me as I did for him.

"I don't think you have to worry about that. From the way he talked about you I think it's pretty clear."

"You guys talked about me?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, while I was fixing his automail. He mentioned something about you throwing things at him yesterday."

I frowned and crossed my arms, "He deserved it." Then I had to go on and tell her the whole story from start to finish. As of now, Winry has become my accomplice in my revenge plans against Ed.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The next day Hughes dropped Winry and I off at the hospital. He had to go to work but he promised to stop by later. Mrs. Hughes had been kind enough to make Ed a birthday cake and I carried it happily to his room.

We entered the room and found the brothers. One of them was sound asleep. Can you guess which one? If you guess Al, Winry will throw a wrench at you.

"Good morning." Al greeted us cheerfully.

"Hey, Al." Winry said back.

I held up the box I was holding, "We brought cake!"

"Brother will be happy about that." Al said, glancing at Ed. "But he'll probably be asleep for a while."

"We could always wake him up." Winry suggested.

I was going to make a comment but then my stomach growled. Very loudly I might add. My eye twitched as I glared at my tummy, "Who are you growling at?"

Winry laughed, "I guess waking Ed will have to come later. Come on, Al. Let's go get Taylor some breakfast. Taylor can watch Ed for a while."

"Okay." Al complied and went out the door. Before Winry left, she turned to me and winked. I think I got the hint.

I blushed and went to sit the cake on the bedside table. Knowing Ed, the smell of the delicious treat would wake him out of his sleep.

Now I didn't have anything else to focus on but the blonde haired boy resting on the bed. This was what Winry was trying to do for me, the same thing I tried to do for her yesterday. She was giving me alone time with Ed. Only problem with that though is that I didn't know what to do with this time.

I plopped down in the chair next to the bed. With nothing better to do I began to watch Ed. A good night's rest had done wonders for him. His complexion had improved and the bags under his eyes were all but gone. I couldn't see his more serious injuries but I hoped that they too had healed some.

I began to fiddle with my thumbs, stealing glances of the door to see if Winry and Al were back yet. I felt fidgety and more than a little like a creeper. I was watching Ed while he was sleeping. If that didn't shout creeper I didn't know what else did. But I had to admit, he could be really cute when he was asleep.

Another blush colored my face. Ever since Winry had given me the go ahead on Ed I couldn't stop thinking about him. Thoughts of him had tormented me all night. Even my dreams were filled with him. It was slowly driving me mad.

"I blame you." I scowled at Ed. "You're too sexy for your own good."

Ed moved.

"Eeep!" I squeaked in surprise. Luckily for me, Ed was still sleeping and had not heard my sexy comment. "Whew." I breathed out.

Ed moved again, tossing his head to the side. I looked at him, searching for signs that he was waking up. He didn't. He tossed again, brows furrowing. He must have been having a nightmare.

"Al." he murmured his brothers name. "No. Al."

I got up from my chair and sat on the bed beside him, "It's okay Ed. You're dreaming. Wake up."

He didn't hear me. He was lost to the clutches of the nightmare. "No. Al. Mom. Mom!" He grimaced and his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

I reached out to him to maybe shake him out of the dream but I didn't get a chance to. His eyes snapped open as he gasped. He saw my hand and reacted instinctively, grabbing my wrist with his automail hand.

"Ed! It's me!" I cried out as he gripped my wrist painfully. "You're hurting me."

He realized what he was doing and immediately let go. He sat up, "Taylor?"

"No, the Pillsbury dough boy. Yes, of course it's me." I rubbed my wrist to get the soreness out, "I see the automail is working fine."

"Sorry about that." he apologized with a guilty expression. I should have been worrying about him but all I could think about was how close I was sitting to him right now. _Bad Taylor_, I told myself sternly. _Get your head out of the gutter and say something before he gets all depressed_.

"It's no big deal." I assured him. "You didn't know what you were doing. I don't even think it'll leave a bruise." I lied on that last part.

He stared at my wrist. He reached over slowly and took it out of my other hand. It was the automail hand he was using, so what had once hurt me now soothed my skin with its cold steel.

"Thanks." I smiled sheepishly but he didn't see. He wouldn't look me in the eyes. "That dream must have been bad."

"Yeah." he replied and said nothing more.

I used deductive reasoning and guessed, "It was about the night you and Al tried to bring your mom back, right?"

Ed flinched, his grip on my wrist tightening for a brief second before he eased back. He closed his eyes and nodded in answer.

My memory went back to that particular episode. It had been horrible enough to watch it, but now I knew that that had all been real. That Ed and Al had experienced that horror. The blood. The agony. The tears. All of it had been more than an episode of an anime. That was the brothers' past. To Ed, this had been more than a nightmare. It had been a memory.

"It's not the first time I've dreamt of it." Ed finally spoke. "And it won't be the last."

"Sounds like you need a dream catcher." I said.

Ed opened one eye to stare at me questioningly, "A dream catcher? What's that?"

"Oh, it's these things you hang by your bed. There's a hoop with string tied like a spider web inside and feathers hang from the bottom of it. They take your dreams and filter out the bad ones and keep only the good ones."

He raised an eyebrow, "And you believe they actually work?"

"No, but they're really pretty." I grinned goofily.

Ed stared at me for a moment and then chuckled heartily, "You're something else. You know that?"

"Yeah. My mom tells me that all the time." My smile wilted. I had been thinking of home more and more often. It had been so long since I had been there. How was everyone doing? Were they okay?

"You miss her." Ed concluded. "I can relate." He stared down at my hand that he held. He brushed up my sleeve some, revealing the tattoos underneath. He traced the lines with his automail hand, eliciting a shiver from me. "I've been meaning to ask you something."

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"Your home and family is on the other side of the gate. I was wondering when you were planning to return there."

"Oh…I hadn't exactly thought about that. I mean, it would be best that I leave right now."

Ed stopped tracing my tattoos and looked at me. I couldn't decipher his expression, but it made butterflies flutter in my stomach.

"It would be in everyone's best interest if I left as soon as possible." I went on. "But I don't want to leave yet. I know it's selfish of me but I don't want to leave you and Al yet. I want to help you guys but I feel like all I'm doing is hurting you."

Ed tried to smile, "Whaddya talking about? You've done nothing but help us since we met you. Don't stress yourself out."

I returned his smile with one of my own, "You mean that?"

"Would I lie to you?"

My smile deepened, "Maybe."

He held his chest as if I had shot him in the heart, "Now, that. That hurt me Taylor."

I shook my head at him. Then I got back to the conversation, "I want to go home and see everyone again but if I do I may never see you guys again."

Ed considered my words thoughtfully, "You wouldn't be able to get back the same way you came here in the first place?"

I shrugged, "I'm not really sure. I don't even know how the circle I found activated itself or why the circles are tattooed on my body as a result of it. Maybe activating the transmutation circles on my body would send me back to my world. Or maybe it would send me to the gate where I would be trapped forever. I don't know."

"If you want, Al and I can help you."

"Really?"

He laughed, "That's what friends are for. When you've decided when you want to go back home we can research into your circles and come up with a way to get you there safely."

My stomach dropped, "So you would be okay with me leaving?"

He frowned and said, "I have no right to stop you if you want to go home. Besides, you would be safer on your side of the gate where the homunculi couldn't get to you."

"I see." I said. That's not what I had really wanted him to say. I was hoping that he would tell me that he wanted me to stay.

Ed watched my reaction. He closed his eyes and scratched his head, "But if you did, Al would miss you."

I perked up, "Oh, he would, would he?"

"Yep." he said simply.

I smiled, "I would miss _Al_ too."

"Uh-huh." he said, still not looking at me.

"I would miss him terribly. I've grown fond of him during my time here. I think I may have even started to develop deep feelings for him."

Ed responded to that. He was startled enough to open his eyes and ask, "You have?"

"Oh yes." I nodded, trying to keep a straight face. "He's just so sweet and tall and irresistible. I mean, he's so tall and he's got big, strong arms. And he's so tall and he's considerate. And he's _so tall_."

Ed couldn't take it. He blew up, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE'LL NEVER GROW TALLER THAN HIS LITTLE BROTHER!"

My serious expression was ruined as I dissolved in giggles. I couldn't even sit upright. I laid down on the bed sideways, holding my sides as I laughed.

"Yeah, laugh it up why don't ya." Ed muttered, an elbow resting on one of his crossed legs as he held his chin up by his fist.

I giggled some more, much to Ed's annoyance. When I finally got myself under control I sat back up. "Yeah, I'm _really _gonna miss _Al_."

Ed kept glancing at me, "So…you're not gonna miss me then?"

I sighed, "You dingbat. Of course I'm going to miss you."

He grumbled, "Then what was all of that about Al?"

"I was just saying that to make you jealous." I teased him.

"I'm not jealous." Ed denied it.

"Oh, really. Then why are you blushing?"

"I'm not!" he shouted, his blush deepening.

I shook my head, "You're such a dingbat."

"Don't call me a dingbat!"

"Would you rather me call you a shrimp?" I asked with an evil grin.

A vein in his forehead throbbed as his anger escalated, "That's it!" He went to grab me. I thought I would be able to dodge him but, even injured, Ed was quicker than me. He caught me and began torturing me.

"No! Stop it! Please!" I giggled as he relentlessly tickled me.

"Not until you beg for mercy!" he kept on with a huge grin. He was having way too much fun.

"It's too much! It's too much!" I wheezed and laughed some more. His fingers continued to prod into my sides and stomach, making me squirm around. "If you don't stop you're not getting any birthday cake."

The threat immediately halted his actions, "Cake? What cake?"

I darted out from under him and snatched the box off of the table. I held it away from him, "Gracia was generous enough to bake you a cake but I don't think you deserve it."

Ed's eyes widened, "You would keep my own cake away from me?"

"Yep. And I got a good look at it too and it looked pretty dang tasty. So if I were you I would apologize."

He began to sweat. Gracia's cake was on the line but he didn't want to submit. That is, until I opened the box and gave him a peek of the tasty morsel.

"Fine!" he surrendered. "I'm sorry. Happy now?"

"Yes." I smiled and sat the cake back down on the table. Ed was quick to take it for himself. He sat it in his lap and eyed it hungrily. He slid his finger through the icing and licked it. "Mmm…"

"Do I get a piece?" I asked.

"Mine." Ed shot back, moving the box more away from me. I rolled my eyes. Ed got more icing and asked, "So what did you get for me?"

"What?"

Ed smirked, "It's my birthday and you didn't get me anything? And here I thought we were friends."

"Who said I didn't get you anything?" I replied smoothly.

"Then what's my present?" he asked, getting even more icing.

"A birthday kiss." Before I could chicken out and before my words fully processed through his mind, I leaned over and pecked him on the cheek. I stood back up, taking in Ed's reaction. He sat completely frozen, his finger still stuck in his mouth. I smiled as his face reddened ten fold. "Happy Birthday, Edward."

Al and Winry came back in after that. They had breakfast with them for which I was eternally grateful. Al asked me what was wrong with Ed, who was still sitting immobile. I just laughed.

I may be a far way from home and things may get tough sometimes and I'd feel like I couldn't handle them but I was still glad that I had come here. I felt blessed that I got to meet everyone and become friends with them. Even if the future was uncertain, it was these happy memories that I would cherish.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

That afternoon, Ed was cleared to go. Armstrong and Hughes came by to ask him and Al what plans they had next. Ed told them that they planned to go see their teacher in Dublith. Winry saw the map on the wall and squealed about going to Rush Valley. At first, Ed kept saying that Winry couldn't go but then he finally relented. That meant, the four of us were headed for Rush Valley. I remembered the part in the show where the three of them were traveling there and now I imagined myself with them.

That's when all of my thoughts came crashing down. I had finally remembered what it was that I felt I had forgotten. After Ed, Al, and Winry leave, Hughes investigates further into the fifth laboratory incident. He gets too close to the truth and the homunculi decide to kill him…and they succeed.

I felt cold all of a sudden and my palms turned sweaty. An inner battle began within myself. I knew I should go to Rush Valley with the others, but what about Hughes? If I let events go as they were he would surely die. He was meant to but, how could I let that happen? Didn't I just promise myself the other night that I would do everything within my power to protect Ed and Al? I realized now that that promise included all of the friends I had gained in Amestris, like Hughes. But Hughes's death was a major part of the series. Big things happened because of it. And who knows what side effects I would cause if I tried to prevent it. More could die because I couldn't let just him die. But in my heart I knew. I knew I was not a person who could stand aside and allow someone I knew to die. Whenever I even considered letting things run their course all I could see were his family's faces. Gracia and little Elyisia. And Ed, Al, and Winry. Mustang, Armstrong, and all of the rest who cared about Hughes. I could spare them a lot of anguish.

Armstrong and Hughes were telling everyone goodbye and they were leaving. As I watched them, I felt like I was seeing Hughes for the last time. And that I could not stand.

"Have fun in Rush Valley." I told them.

Ed, who had been curiously avoiding looking at me since I gave him his present, gave me a glance and frowned, "What are you talking about? You're coming too."

"No. Not this time."

Ed really looked at me this time. He took in my solemn expression. "What's going on, Taylor?"

I shook my head and smiled, "I just think it would be better for you guys if I stayed here in Central."

"You're not a burden on us, Taylor. You can come." Al told me.

"Yeah, don't make me go with these guys alone." Winry pleaded.

"You're not telling us something." Ed accused.

My smile died, "It's nothing really. There's just something I have to take care of here in Central."

Ed and Al exchanged a look. They knew I was up to something. Winry simply seemed disappointed that I wasn't going with them.

Ed didn't want to give up without a fight, "You can't stay here. I'm your assigned bodyguard. I can't just leave you behind"

I sighed, "Did you forget about all the soldiers around here? I'm not exactly left on my own you know. There are plenty of people around here to look after me." Ed was about to say something else but I stopped him, "Honestly Ed. Don't you trust me?"

That gave him pause. He eyed me and I knew he was wondering what I was up too, but he couldn't deny that I knew what was to come and could avoid dangerous situations if need be. Or it could be that he was afraid that I was going to put myself in harm's way. If he only knew.

Ed closed his eyes and let out a sigh of his own, "I guess there's no stopping you if you want to stay." Then he lifted his eyelids to lock eyes with me, "But you better not be up to anything dangerous while we're gone."

I laughed, "I'm not stupid Ed. Getting into dangerous situations is your department."

"Who are you calling stupid!" Ed retorted.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Everything seemed to be going okay so far. I went with everyone to see Ed, Al, and Winry off at the station. I walked in between Winry and Al, chatting with them as we made our way to the train. Ed walked ahead of us, keeping his back to us. I think he was keeping his distance because he was still embarrassed about me kissing him. Or maybe he was mad at me. Maybe he didn't like that I had kissed him. Maybe he didn't think about me that way at all.

Winry elbowed me to get my attention, "Cheer up, would ya? I'm the one who should look sulky for having to travel alone with these two knuckleheads."

I sent her an apologetic smile, "Sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind."

She glanced between Ed and I, "I can see that."

A dusting of pink lit my cheeks, "What's that suppose to mean?"

"Nothing." Winry giggled.

I shook my head and sighed. After a moment, I admitted, "I think Ed might be mad at me."

Al asked, "Why would you think that?"

I shrugged, "I just do."

Winry laughed, "I doubt it. That's the last thing Ed is feeling for you."

I narrowed my eyes at her, "And how would you know?"

"Woman's intuition. I thought every girl had that?"

"I did, but then I needed some extra cash and sold mine on ebay."

"What's an ebay?" Al asked.

"Uh, nevermind."

We walked in silence for a minute and then Al just had to ask, "Taylor, you like Brother, don't you?"

My steps faltered and I nearly fell flat on my face, "Uh, what makes you say that?"

Al laughed, "No reason." Him and Winry exchanged a knowing look.

"Am I missing something here?" I asked them.

"Yes." they both replied.

"Weirdos." I muttered under my breath.

We got to the train just as it was beginning to board. We said our goodbyes and huggged one another and I promised to see everyone again soon.

"You better." Ed told me and got on the train.

I waved at them as the train left. Beside me, Ross, Brosh, Hughes, and Armstrong waved as well. When the train was gone I had one last thing to do before I set my plan in motion.

"Hughes. I need to ask a favor."

He turned to me with a smile, "What can I do you for? Did you want to see the new pictures of Elysia."

"No thank you." I declined politely. "Since I'm staying here for a while in Central I was wondering if I could stay at your house with you and your family."

He responded just as I knew he would, "Gracia and I would be delighted to have you stay with us! And my darling Elysia would love to get a chance to play with her big sister Taylor again!"

I smiled. Now all I had to do was complete my mission: Operation Save Maes Hughes.

* * *

><p><strong>So, Taylor finally realizes what she was forgetting. Better late than never, right?<strong>

**I really like the friendship between Taylor and Winry. I thought Taylor could use another girl to talk to since she's always hanging around Ed and Al.**

**Please review or I might go crazy and be taken back to the nuthouse and miss my next update.**


	25. Chapter 25

**It's here! Finally! The 25th chapter! I have been looking forward to writing this chapter for so long and now I've finally done it. Yay for me!**

**Thank you to all of the people who have read and/or reviewed. You guys rock!**

**Thanks goes to Roku for editing. I heart my editor! And a huge thank you to my brother for helping me devise the fight scenes in this chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 25<strong>

**Mission Impossible 2**

(-Hughes-)

Hughes stood in the Fuhrer's office, sweat dewing on his forehead as King Bradley asked him about his investigation into the fifth laboratory. Hughes was nervous but kept his calm. He almost backed down completely though when Bradley brought up all of Hughes's suspicions about there being corruption within the military. But then the older man smiled at him and told him he was joking and that he was giving Hughes his permission to fully investigate this matter.

"Yes sir!" Hughes saluted his superior with a relieved smile of his own.

"I think this investigation would go a little smoother though if you spoke to Doctor Marcoh. You must have some questions for him."

Hughes started, "But Doctor Marcoh was said to have been murdered. Last I checked you can't question the dead."

Bradley just waved that aside, "That was all just a cover up. Doctor Marcoh is alive and well and has been in protective custody for quite some time. We only spread the rumors of his death so that anyone after him would be disinclined to search for him."

"Oh." Hughes managed a nod. "Where is he now?"

Bradley gestured to his secretary who was silently working at her desk. "Ms. Douglas is the only one who knows the doctor's whereabouts at any given time. It's so that if I were to be captured by enemies I would be unable to tell them where he's located. She will set up a time for you to meet safely with him later."

"Thank you, sir." Hughes said.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Here I was, at the Hughes residence yet again. This time there were less children running about, thank God. Gracia had been very accepting of me staying with them and Elysia was just excited that she could play with my hair again. I spent most of the day hanging out with her and her mom. Gracia asked me a lot of questions about my family and I answered all of them accordingly. She was an easy person to talk to and, even if my mother was very different than her, she reminded me of Mom.

The day went smoothly. Elysia kept calling me her Sissy and that sent sparkles to my eyes. She really was as adorable as Hughes always raved. While Hughes was at work, I spent time with Gracia and Elysia. The three of us baked an apple pie. Well, Elysia was mostly the taste tester and I was barely any help but Gracia showed me all the steps on how to make it. I'm sure if I tried to I wouldn't be able to recreate her masterpiece. I sucked at cooking and whenever I tried to cook anything it just ended up burned. But I paid strict attention to everything Gracia told me.

It had turned dark outside when Hughes came home. I was sitting on the couch in the living room. Elysia sat beside me, her big eyes watching every movement of my hands as I drew in a sketchbook Gracia had kindly given me. I considered drawing my best talent and everyone who had seen my work agreed that I was an excellent artist. I didn't get my skills overnight though. I had been working on my drawing abilities for years. Now, drawing came naturally to me. One of my best friends, LeFay, told me one time that watching me draw was like magic and that I could make a blank piece of paper come to life. I thought she was being too considerate but I loved it when people complimented me like that.

My hand stopped it's stroke as I remembered LeFay. I missed her dearly along with Amy, Ragan, and all of my band geek buds. I wondered if I would ever see them again.

"Why'd you stop? Are you finished?" Elysia asked me.

"Oh," I looked over to her and smiled, "Almost." I went back to the drawing. I had completed it when Hughes walked in.

"Honey, I'm home!" he shouted, making me laugh.

"Welcome home, darling. How did work go today?" Gracia greeted him, stepping out of the kitchen.

"It went great." he kissed her cheek. "What about here?"

"Daddy!" Elysia cheered and ran to her father.

"There's my little bundle of sweetness!" Hughes grinned and picked her up. She giggled happily, "And how was your day, Elysia?"

"Sissy and I played all day. We helped mommy make a pie. And Sissy drew a pretty picture and said she would teach me how to draw."

"She did?" Hughes asked with a smile. He walked over to the couch and sat down with Elysia in his lap. "Mind if I see?"

"Sure." I said and handed him the sketchbook.

Hughes took one look at it and laughed, "That's a real talent you got there, kid. It looks exactly like them."

"Thank you." I smiled and accepted the sketchbook back.

"I know! You should draw a picture of my daughter! Wouldn't you like that Elysia?"

"Yeah!" she cried back.

I smiled, "I promise to draw a picture for you then."

"Dinner is served." Gracia had come back into the living room to inform us.

"Great! I'm starved." Hughes put Elysia back on the ground. She ran into the kitchen and Hughes chuckled.

Hughes stood up and asked me, "So, was there a specific reason why you didn't want to go to Rush Valley with the others?"

Crap. I forgot that underneath Hughes's cheery exterior there lived a cunning fox. Of course he would be suspicious about me.

"I, uh, just wanted to look into something in Central." I tried with a nervous smile.

He studied me, "And what exactly would that be?"

I deliberated. I couldn't warn him of his impending death. That could throw everything off. No, I had to wait for now and deal with it when the time came. "I'll let you know when I find it."

He nodded, "Okay, but if you need any help don't hesitate to ask."

I blinked, "Thank you."

Dinner was an ordinary event. Well, to anyone else it would be but I saw it differently. I saw this amazing family enjoying one another's company. It was evident how close they were. It made me feel like an outsider at times but Gracia's accepting personality and Hughes's cheery one drew me in. And Elysia kept looking up at me like I was the most amazing thing. This family was made up of sweet, loving people. It made me miss my family all the more.

What was my family doing right now? Were they sitting at home, eating dinner like this? Had they forgotten me? Or, were they sad now? Had my disappearance made it impossible for them to be happy? How much pain and grief had I made them suffer?

_ Stop it_, I scolded myself. _Thinking about home is just going to make you miss it more and make you feel guilty and all it would accomplish is you crying about it. You've got bigger things to worry about. You hear me Taylor?_

_ Aye, aye, Captain!_ I thought back.

Then I realized I was having a conversation with myself in my head and felt stupid.

After dinner, it was late enough to go to my room for the night. I took my sketchbook with me and hoped to draw some before I went to sleep. Some time passed and I got up from the bed to go to the bathroom for the last time before I called it quits for today.

When I came back out of the bathroom I was thirsty and wanted to go to the kitchen and get a glass of water. I was about to make a turn down the hall but then I caught voices. I stopped and peeked around the corner.

Gracia stood in the doorway to Elysia's room. She whispered to someone inside and I could tell she was talking to her husband. Hughes must have been tucking in Elysia. I should just go back to my room and leave them to it.

I turned to go but I halted in my steps as I heard Gracia say, "Just be careful, Maes."

Those words…Weren't they the same words that Gracia told Hughes the night he died? If they weren't they were eerily similar. If she was saying that then he must be leaving again. And all of this couldn't be a coincidence. Tonight had to be the night that Hughes died.

_What do I do? What do I do?_

_ Just calm down._

_ How can you tell me to calm down when Hughes is about to go off and get himself killed?_

_ Panicking won't solve anything._

_ Then what else am I suppose to do?_

_ Sneak out and follow him. Duh._

That's when I shook my head. I was having more head conversations with myself. That couldn't be healthy. But I had to admit, I gave myself some pretty good advice.

I went back to my room to use the window to make my escape.

"Oh, I forgot I'm on the second story." I said as I looked out the window. I opened the window and searched for a way down. A tree stood close enough. I could shimmy down it. Easier said than done. I broke a few branches and fell the last half of the way down but I didn't break any bones. Yay for me!

"Now what?" I asked myself. I was outside but how was going to follow Hughes without him knowing? He was going to be driving a car. I couldn't tail him by foot.

"Wait, the car!" I said. I went to the car and got into the trunk. I didn't close it all the way but held it open by an indistinguishable crack. No, it wasn't comfortable and no, this probably wasn't one of my best ideas but it would do for now.

I waited for a few minutes and was rewarded with the sound of footsteps coming towards the car. Luckily, Hughes didn't notice the trunk and got into the car. The engine started up, making me jump at the loud sound. Then the car pulled away from the house.

_So what do I do when I get there? _I asked myself. I received no answer.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The ride to candy mountain was not smooth at all. Okay, we weren't going to candy mountain but the point is riding in a trunk isn't as comfortable as you'd think. It was _bumpy_. Never, ever was I going to do that again.

The car made two stops. The first one was at Central HQ. And I did not find this out by my X-ray vision. I peeked out of the crack in the trunk. I knew that this wouldn't be where Hughes died so I stayed safely in the car. I waited for what seemed like hours. Probably were. I had just about decided that he wasn't coming back and that I should get out and find him when I heard someone coming back. I couldn't tell if he was the only one or if someone was with him. All I knew was that someone had come back and the car was moving again. The car was driven somewhere. I have no idea where.

The car stopped and I waited for a minute. Then I opened the trunk. The coast was clear and this looked like the place so I crawled out. I shut it back quietly and scanned the area. The car was parked by what looked like the hotel where Sloth brought Hughes to meet Marcoh. Or so he thought. I was pretty certain that he would get out good enough on his own so I wasn't concerned with that. What I needed to do was find the payphone. I went down the street I thought he would take and after a couple minutes I found it.

"That was easy." I mumbled to myself. Then I knocked on my head, "Knock on wood."

I didn't feel comfortable just standing here out in the open so I walked across the street where a cluster of trees were located. I hid behind one, putting on a ninja persona as I attempted to blend into the darkness.

_I'm gonna die_, I thought. My heart rate began to pick up as I comprehended what I was about to do. _I'm just going to get in the way and there's going to be another dead body along with Hughes's. I'm not a ninja no matter how much I try to blend into the darkness. I can't pull this off._

Beside my many doubts, there were also scenes playing through my head of after Hughes was murdered. All the smiling faces I had seen here in Amestris would be somber with mourning. Gracia would lose her love and little Elysia would cry for her daddy.

My fists tightened. _I can't let that happen. I may be scared but that's not going to stop me from doing what is right. I have to get Hughes out of this. Alive._

Even with the pep talk, my stomach curled in on itself in trepidation. I tried to visualize the times when Ed and Al were in perilous situations. How they fought through their fear and against their enemies. They were strong. I had to be more like them.

Suddenly, I heard the sounds of people running. I peeked out from behind the tree. My heart leapt up into my throat. Hughes and Ross were running down the sidewalk, aiming for the payphone. Hughes got there first and picked up the phone and rummaged in his pockets for some change. A picture fell out of his pocket and Ross glanced down at it with an emotionless expression.

My breaths came faster and faster and I was close to having a panic attack.

_Just stay calm. You can do this. Be a big girl._

_ But I'm afraid._

_ What are you more afraid of? Envy? Or losing Hughes?_

I frowned at myself. I already knew the answer to that.

Across the street, Hughes hung up the phone angrily. Ross suggested that they leave and Hughes agreed. Ross turned around but then froze as Hughes pulled a knife out on her.

_Crap! This is happening too fast! I'm not ready!_

Ross faced him and ran a hand across her face. A small light flashed on her cheek. Then, so fast my eyes couldn't follow it, Hughes struck out and slit her throat just as she was pulling out her gun. Hughes muttered something and went to leave. Then Ross stood back up.

_Ready or not! Here I come!_

Gracia now stood where Ross had been, making Hughes hesitate. Gracia held a gun in her hand, preparing to shoot. Neither of them saw me from my position across the street.

In the blink of an eye, I clapped my hands together and touched the ground beneath me. I reached out with my alchemy, trying to feel the elements in the pavement under my hands. Blue sparks ran out from under my palms and traveled to the two of them. I moved the concrete near them and shot it out. I had aimed to hit the Gracia look-a-like but I messed up. Instead of hitting Envy, it shot out in front of him. It still stopped the bullet though, which was more than I could have asked for.

"I did it? I did it!" I cried.

"What the hell?" Envy's voice came out of Gracia's mouth. On the other side of the rock formation Hughes took a step back, startled.

_Oh, crap. What do I do now? I didn't plan this far ahead!_

"Go with the flow." I told myself. There was a fire hydrant next to me and I touched it after clapping my hands. I created a spout aimed at Envy. Amazingly enough, it worked. A gush of water sprayed out and hit Envy, sending him into the building behind him.

"Hughes!" I shouted at him. He snapped his attention over to me. "This way!"

As to be expected, he was shocked to see me. He ran over to me though, knife held ready in one hand. "I assume you found what you were looking for."

I smiled wryly at him, "You could say that."

"I'll kill you for that!" Envy shouted out and we looked his way. He had gotten out of the steaming water and had changed form. His was in his usual guise and boy was he not happy.

"Time to run!" I told Hughes. I clapped my hands one last time and touched the water still streaming out. I wasn't really sure how to do it so I went by feel. I tried to super heat the water. It worked more strongly than I had intended and steam exploded everywhere. It had the intended affect of hiding Hughes and I.

I grabbed Hughes's arm and dragged him down the street. I could barely see in all the steam but I managed to hold onto him and run in a direction away from the homunculus.

We made it out of the mist cloud and didn't stop there. I let Hughes take the lead and followed him down a series of winding streets. Hopefully, Envy had lost us and wouldn't be able to find us. We ran a little farther just in case.

I lost track of how many blocks we ran. My sole focus was running for dear life. The farther away we got the more I couldn't believe this was happening. I had actually done it. I had saved Hughes! Now if we could only get to a safe place I would be a happy camper.

We couldn't run forever. Well, _I_ couldn't anyway. My lungs were burning and my legs were aching but that I could live with. I couldn't live if my heart burst.

"Stop! Please!" I panted.

Hughes slowed down to a stop and turned to me. He was breathing heavily but nothing more. I felt like I was dying. I held myself up barely, leaning against a wall. We were in some alley somewhere in Central. It didn't really matter to me where we were, as long as Envy couldn't find us.

"Ugh. I think my heart is going to explode." I moaned.

"After you catch your breath I'd like for you to answer a few questions."

I glanced back up at Hughes. His face was the most serious I had ever seen it. Those green-gold eyes of his gleamed with suspicion. I also took note that he hadn't put his knife up yet. Meaning, he didn't trust me.

I swallowed deeply and nodded.

"Who are you really? What's you're part in all this?"

His questions made me laugh for some reason, "I'm exactly who I told you I am. My name is Taylor Riley. As for my part in this, I don't really have one. I'm kinda just along for the ride."

He looked me up and down, "Those were some smooth moves back there."

I shrugged, "I guess I picked up a thing or two from Ed and Al."

He didn't even smile, "How do I know your really Taylor?"

His question confused me. Sure I would understand it if we hadn't have seen Envy back there but we had. He saw that I was not Envy. There's no way that I could _not _be Taylor. Then again, Hughes didn't know a lot about the homunculi. For all he knew, there could be more that had the same power as Envy.

"Okay. I need to prove to you that I'm Taylor then." I stated. "The first time I met you I was rude and stormed off in a tantrum. Sorry about that by the way. I was in a bad mood that day."

Hughes arched an eyebrow and his lips tugged up marginally. But he remained wary, "Tell me why you're here."

"I came here to save you." I said simply.

"I'm flattered that you care so much but I'm used to this kind of thing. I can take care of myself."

I shook my head, "Not always Hughes. If I hadn't have intervened Envy would have killed you. He turned into your wife and that made you hesitate long enough for him to take the shot. But Envy didn't know that I would be here to stop him."

"Envy is its name."

I nodded even though it wasn't really a question, "Envy is one of the seven homunculi. As you saw earlier, he can change into anyone he wants. The other six have different abilities but all of them are just as dangerous as he is. Envy wanted to kill you tonight because you've been getting too close to the truth. That's why Juliet Douglas lured you to that hotel tonight. So they could ambush you."

"You seem to know a lot for someone who's just along for the ride." Hughes commented. "How do you know so much?"

I sighed, "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." I pushed off of the wall and walked past Hughes. He took a step back, watching my every movement. "I think we should be going. They're probably tracking us down as we speak."

"Why did you save me?" Hughes asked.

I stopped and turned to look at him. He stood in the same spot, eyeing me uncertainly.

"You're a good guy Hughes. A good father. A good husband. I couldn't stand to see you die. I know how suspicious you are of me right now, but I really mean it when I say I'm on your side. The homunculi have been after me for awhile and Ed and Al have been protecting me from them. But now I'm not the only one their after. They'll come after you again and again until they kill you. And I can't let that happen. I'd never forgive myself."

Hughes took in my words and finally sighed. Scratching his head, he muttered, "You sure are a strange kid."

I smiled, "Thanks."

He chuckled and walked over to me, "I'll buy what you've said for now. But once we get to a safe place your going to answer the rest of my questions."

We stepped out of the alley and looked out at the street. Not a soul but the two of us. "So what do we do now?"

Hughes opened his mouth to answer but then everything went to hell.

Something landed in between us and a shockwave sent us flying back. I rolled across the pavement dizzily. When I stopped, I focused my blurry vision to where the thing had landed.

The blood in my veins turned to ice. The thing was actually a person. And it wasn't any person. It was _him_. The guy who had chased me the other night and had stolen my map. He was back.

The man must have jumped from one of the nearby rooftops and had landed where he was now kneeling. The sword I had seen strapped to his back was now embedded in the ground. There was a crater around the double-edged sword. How on Earth had he caused that?

His head lifted and our eyes locked. I gasped but he showed no sign of surprise. All he did was simply stare at me. Then he stood and pulled his sword out of the ground. I thought he was about to come attack me but he showed his back to me and went after Hughes instead.

Hughes had already gotten up and had drawn one of his knifes. But what good could a tiny knife do against a hefty sword like that? My eyes were glued to the two of them as they fought. The mysterious man tried to cut down Hughes but Hughes jumped back just in time. He couldn't dodge the second attack. The man was able to cut his forearm. Not severely but enough to where his sleeve was covered in blood. Hughes grimaced slightly and changed his hold on his knife and countered. But he didn't get a chance to do the man any damage. This guy was fast. He swiftly leaned out of the way of Hughes's first attack and then his other.

The man put some distance in between them, going to the middle of the street. Hughes took advantage of this and threw his knife at him. The man didn't pause for a second. He ran towards Hughes while simultaneously slicing the knife out of the air and brought the sword back on a downward stroke to cut Hughes. He did all of this holding the sword one handed. The thing must have weighed a ton but he wielded it like it weighed nothing. At the last second Hughes got out of the way. But he left himself open and the man went right into jabbing his elbow into Hughes's stomach. He gasped and was knocked back into the building behind him. The man shifted his sword and went in for the kill.

I didn't even think about it. I clapped my hands and touched the building to my right. This was the same building that Hughes had been knocked into so I was able to transmute it. I moved the brick in the building to form a cocoon around Hughes. The tip of the man's blade stopped a centimeter away from the cocoon's hull.

The man paused and looked over at the unwanted interruption. There was no annoyance in his expression. No emotion at all. And yet, I felt extremely vulnerable in my position. Would I be able to stand and ward off his attacks? Or runaway perhaps?

He had no intention of coming after me though. He simply told me, "You can't stop me," and focused back on Hughes. He placed both hands on the grip of his sword and grunted as if using force. Suddenly, the blade of the sword emitted yellow sparks of lightening. They crackled and engulfed the blade fully. The man reared the sword back and shot it into the cocoon. The blade slipped into the rock with ease, the electricity moving to cover the hull of the cocoon. Then he pulled the sword back out.

My heart stopped. On the edge of the blade was blood. Hughes's blood. The cocoon crumbled from the energy of the electricity and revealed Hughes. Hughes now had a gun and opened fire on the man. He had a huge gash on his shoulder but it wasn't as serious as I had feared. I had no time to take comfort in this. The man danced away, not a single bullet hitting him. He was a blur as he moved. I didn't even catch his movements when he had moved behind me. I suddenly felt this presence behind me. I had no time to look back. He took hold of the back of my neck with his free hand and lifted me with strength far greater than a human.

"Don't interfere." he warned. Even now, there was no anger in his voice. I began to wonder if this man had a soul. He definitely wasn't human.

He spun me around in a fast circle and launched me off in a direction. That direction happened to be at Hughes and I collided into him, knocking him to the ground. We laid in a heap for several moments, my head spinning.

_There's no time to catch your breath. He's coming after you. Move!_ a voice in my head screamed. I rolled off of Hughes and we both began the difficult task of sitting up.

The man was a few yards away, running towards us. When he got close enough, he slid into a swing that was sure to decapitate both of us.

Hughes grabbed my head and forced me to duck down with him. The blade was _this _close to grazing my head. Hughes used his position to his advantage and kicked the guy's legs out from under him. That threw him off and he came crashing down. But he wouldn't stay down if he was left like that.

Again, I acted quickly and made my inner circle. I slammed my hands down on the road and rippled the cement over the man's hands, leaving them trapped.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Hughes stood up beside me and offered me his hand. I took it graciously and got to my feet wobbly.

"Friend of yours?" Hughes asked me, gesturing to the man below on the ground.

I shook my head, "No. He's just my stalker."

"This guy must mean business, carrying around a big sword like this." Hughes said, looking down at the sword still clutched in the man's bound hand. "Nice going by the way."

"You too." I repaid the compliment.

"You think this is enough to stop me?" the man asked us. Then he stared coldly at me, "My alchemy is not as limited as yours."

The bounds on his hands lit up with electrifying sparks. The rock disintegrated and then he was free. There was a rush in the air and then pain. The man now stood in front of me, his eyes narrowed by the slightest degree. I glanced away from his face and down to my side. The blade of his sword had cut my side and now my blood ran freely, dripping onto the street. I followed the length of the blade and was shocked to find Hughes impaled by it behind me.

The sword was removed and I gasped and clutched at my side. Hughes fell backwards onto the ground, passed out. Red liquid covered his uniform and continued to pour out. More leaked out of his mouth.

My knees gave out and I collapsed. The pain in my side was but a pinprick compared to the horror before me.

_He's dead…_

"No." I whimpered. I had failed. I had done all of this for nothing. Hughes had died because I couldn't save him. I failed. I failed…

The man stepped around me to peer at the body. There was no remorse in his features. Nor was there enjoyment. He did not kill Hughes for fun but he had no qualms in doing it. This guy…he really did have no soul. He truly was a monster.

"Why?" I asked him, my voice shaky.

"You know as well as I that he was meant to die." he spoke, still looking down on Hughes's still form.

His answer ran sluggishly through my mind. How did he know that Hughes was supposed to die? Could he be from my side of the gate then? Or…somewhere else?

"Why are you doing this?" I asked helplessly. Tears streamed down my face but my face remained frozen in shock.

He turned to me, bloody sword in one hand, "I am doing this because of you. I am here because you are here. Nothing more. As long as more like yourself continue to come here I will remain."

His words held no meaning to me. I was so far gone that I couldn't make sense of it. Even if I hadn't been scared out of my mind I wouldn't have understood.

He walked away from Hughes and towered over me. I stared up at him with wide eyes, a sob hitching in my throat. My shoulders trembled and I felt numb. If I hadn't have been so terrified I might have considered transmuting something to help me. I was even bleeding and I could use my Philosopher's Stone. But I couldn't move if I tried. My body was frozen with shock and fear. I had never experienced such terror in my entire life. Not when I was sucked into the gate. Not when I had drowned. Not when I had been stabbed in the chest. This fear exceeded all others.

He leaned down and touched my chest between my collarbone. His fingertips made contact with a line from my tattoos. As soon as he did, the tattoos lit up in a bright red glow. Abruptly, my skin became searing hot and I felt as if I were on fire. The agony was too much. I let rip a blood curdling scream as my body was torn apart from the inside out.

* * *

><p><strong>OMAKE <strong>

"You think this is enough to stop me?" the man asked us from where he lay with his hands trapped. "You have not seen the full extent of my power."

The bounds on his hands lit up with electrifying sparks. The rock disintegrated and then he was free. He stood, gripping his sword in both hands as he arched it up towards us. A fierce gleam entered his eyes as he shouted, "Bankai!"

_Crickets chirp…_

"Um…" I said as nothing happened.

The guy looked at his sword in irritation, "I said, bankai!" Still, nothing happened. "Bankai, damn it! Why isn't this working?"

"I think you're in the wrong anime." I told him.

He stopped his futile attempts, "Is this not Bleach?"

"No, this is FMA." Hughes told him.

"Oh, that explains a lot. Sorry for the misunderstanding. I'll just be on my way." Then he left.

And they all lived happily ever after.

The end

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><p><strong>Yes, I know, it's so bad of me to leave the chapter off there. I am a fan of cliff hangers, as you all know.<strong>

**Remember! Reviews make the world go round!**

**See you guys next week!**


	26. Chapter 26

**This took me forever to get around writing it. I've been obsessed lately with reading other people's fanfics. I had to literally force myself to stop reading and work on this chapter. *sigh***

**Anyway, I'm planning a trip to Amestris soon. You guys can come along if you want. All you have to do is bring your own human sacrifice as payment to the gate. I asked Taylor if she wanted to be my sacrifice and she said no. I told her it was for the greater good and she still said no. *double sigh***

**One last thing, be on the look out for my newest short fanfic, "Ed's Happy Dance". I'll be posting it sometime today.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 26<strong>

**Sacrifices**

(-Taylor-)

I don't know where the pain ended and the whiteness began. It all condensed into one big blur that left me shell shocked.

"I told you that we'd meet again. You shouldn't look so surprised." a voice told me in an amused tone.

I couldn't mistake that collage of voices for anyone else. I knew without a doubt that if I turned around I would see the image of Truth. And I wasn't proved wrong.

"Truth." I whispered as I turned to look at it.

It smiled widely at me, "Yes. It's been awhile. I see you've been fairing well."

Something in me snapped as I snarled at him incredulously, "You think I've been doing well? That's bullshit! Do you know how many near death experiences I've went through since coming to Amestris? Not to mention the two times I _died_! I've practically been no help at all to Ed and Al. Some guy with an oversized sword has been stalking me. And after all the effort I went through I couldn't even save Hughes. And it's all because of _you_! It's you're fault that I've went through all of this! Why did you even send me to Amestris in the first place?"

Truth stared at me emotionlessly as I huffed to get my breath back after my long rant. I had surprised myself at how explosive I had been. The same fear I had from when I had first come to this place still lingered in the recesses of my mind but the anger at the forefront of my mind did not care. It wanted answers and, damn it, it wanted them now!

It laughed at me, "I brought you to Amestris for the same reason I brought all the others there."

"Others?" my ears pricked up at the words.

"Yes." Truth grinned deviously at me. "You thought you were the first? Silly human, you are nothing special. There have been a copious amount of others that I selected to play this game. None of them have ever succeeded though. That's why I brought you through the gate; new challenger to face this never ending game."

"A game?" I sputtered. "This isn't a game! These are people's lives you're toying with! _My _life you're toying with! You can't do that!"

"Oh, but I can." came its chilling reply. "I've been doing it for eons. I am in control. You humans only think that you are the ones in control. You live by that illusion but here I stand ready to clear up all of your misguided assumptions. You are but a small spec in the scheme of things, you and everyone else, including the brothers and the man known as Maes Hughes." It paused for a second, considering something, then went on, "I'm curious as to why you saved him."

I frowned and looked away, "I didn't save him. That sword guy killed him and I couldn't stop it."

"You think he's dead, don't you?" Truth said. My head shot up as I stared at it wordlessly. "He's not dead. Yet. My pawn dealt him a blow that will surely kill him soon but he isn't dead yet."

"He's not?" I asked, hope thick in my voice. Then I caught on to what Truth had said. "You said 'pawn'. Does that mean the sword guy is working for you?"

Truth crossed its arms thoughtfully, "In a way. He's part of this game as well."

"And what does that mean?"

"Did you really think that it would be so easy?" Truth asked me. "Did you think that you could waltz into another world with previous knowledge of it and with a Philosopher's Stone and be able to go through it so effortlessly? It's not that simple. The path ahead of you is not clear and straightforward. It is rough and winding. My swordsman is an additional piece to oppress you."

"So…he's basically there to make things harder for me?" I asked.

Truth smiled indulgingly, "Congratulations. You've guessed right."

"That's so…mean."

It shook its head at me, "It's just another piece of the game."

"You keep mentioning a game." I began irritably. "What are you talking about? Why did you bring me here? What is it you want me to do?"

"I want you to win." it told me. "You have the chance to succeed where countless others have failed. It's doubtful that you will but it will be entertaining nonetheless. The pathetic nature of you creatures never ceases to amaze me."

I was about to make a comment but my words became lodged in my throat as a giant gate appeared behind Truth. It loomed over us and all I could do was stare at the giant doors.

"But you don't have to play the game anymore." Truth continued. "I'm giving you the choice to return to your home and leave all of this behind you."

My eyes snapped back to Truth as I asked astonished, "You'd let me go home? Just like that?"

It nodded, "Just like that. The choice is yours."

I could go home. I could see my mom and Joeli again. I could see all of my friends. I could go back to school and be a normal kid again! I could go back to a world where there were no homunculi or crazy swordsmen or kidnappers. I would be safe. Joy filled me. It swiftly became replaced by overpowering grief. If I went back home now I would never be able to return to Amestris. That meant that Hughes would die this night. And I would never be able to see Ed and Al ever again. And this sick game of Truth's would continue on with or without me.

Truth scowled at me, "Here I thought you would be ecstatic to find a way back to your home. Why are you hesitating? Isn't this what you wanted?"

I shook my head, "I do want to go home, I miss it so much, but…" and though the words pained me I knew they were true, " I can't. I can't go back just yet. There are things that I need to do in Amestris. There are people who need me."

I don't think that Truth expected that answer. He barked a laugh at me, "Are you sure you want to sacrifice this opportunity?"

I nodded, "Yeah. If I don't go back now then Hughes will die. And because of my interference with the time line things might go wrong with Ed and Al and everyone else. I need to go back so I can make sure they all stay alive."

"You never did tell me why you saved that man." Truth informed me.

I thought about it for a moment and answered, "I saved him because I could."

"Isn't that a bit conceited of you?"

"No." I responded. "I saved Hughes because I knew he was going to die. I would never be able to forgive myself if I ignored it and didn't do anything to stop it. If you would have sent me back early enough I would have tried to save Nina too. Hell, if it had been two years before that I would have tried to save her mother. The point is, I'm not going to stand aside and let someone die. Not if I can do something about it. That's just the kind of person I am. It's what makes me human."

Truth covered his face as he laughed heartily, "As I said, humans never cease to amaze me."

Then tiny black arms grabbed me and pulled me through a gate that had appeared out of nowhere behind me.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Water pelted my face in tiny ice pricks. My eyelids opened to discover the source of the moisture. Dark clouds filled the night sky and rained down upon the earth in torrents. My clothes were soaked, as was the rest of me. It made me shiver violently.

"Where…" I croaked as I fought to regain my bearings. Where was I? Was this the sky of Amestris I was seeing? Or was I back in my own world?

I sat up and instantly a wave of nausea hit me. My vision swam and I feared that I would pass out. I clamped my eyes shut and took deep breaths, forcing myself to focus on the sensation of the rain hitting my skin.

When that had passed, I inspected my injuries. There were none. My body had already healed with the help from the stone inside me. The fabric of my shirt was still ripped but the cut was gone.

I frowned as I fingered the tear. Wasn't there something that I was supposed to be doing?...

My eyes wandered and stopped on a curious lump yards away from me. I squinted at it. As my vision cleared I distinguished that what I was staring at was a body.

I sucked in a breath, "Hughes!"

I scrambled up to my feet only to fall back down again. That didn't stop me. I used whatever momentum I could to drag myself over to him.

"Hughes." I said urgently. His eyes were closed and his complexion ghostly. A stream of blood trickled out of his parted mouth and more drenched his clothes. The slight movement of his chest rising and falling was the only indication that he was alive.

I searched my mind for possible plans. I didn't know where a hospital was. I could try to run and find one but I might get lost and Hughes could die while I was gone. I could perhaps pick him up and take him somewhere but again, I had no clue where a hospital was and this part of Central was absolutely unfamiliar to me. As far as I could see there was no one living in this part of the city. No one was around. Not even that sword guy, thank God. I was out of options…or…was I?

A desperate plan formed in my thoughts and I just went with it. I had no idea if this would work but we were running out of time and there was nothing else I could think of. I tugged at Hughes's clothes while trying not to cause him anymore pain. I pulled the rip in his shirt away enough to where I could see the wound clearly.

My stomach rolled as I stared at the bloody mess of a hole that went through Hughes's stomach. It was amazing that he was still alive. That wouldn't be the case though if I didn't hurry up.

Quickly, I snatched up one of Hughes's knives and placed the edge of the blade against my palm. My hands were shaking and my breathing quickened. It was now or never.

Before I could think too much about it, I jerked the knife across my palm. It stung and red liquid seeped from the fresh wound. I bit back a cry of pain and got to work. I covered his wound with my hand. I ignored the gross feeling and closed my eyes in concentration. I was about to use my Philosopher's Stone in a way I had never even attempted. I knew that it had healing capabilities but I had never tried to use them. Maybe my body had subconsciously tapped into the power of the stone all those times before when I had woken up and had miraculously healed. Maybe it was also possible to use that power consciously. And just maybe I could use that power to heal someone other than myself.

Something happened. A strange feeling came over me, the same feeling I had whenever I used the stone. Red sparks crackled around my hand. When it died down I lifted my hand to view the result.

"What?" I stared at my hand, my jaw hitting the ground. Instead of healing Hughes all I had done was heal myself. The cut I had given myself was gone without a trace. I guess it wasn't possible after all.

"No." I growled at myself. I would not give up. I would keep trying, even if it took me a hundred times to get it right. I could do it. I had to. If I didn't Hughes would…

I shoved all thoughts out of my head as I used the knife again. It didn't hurt any less than the last time. In fact, because of my anger I had sliced deeper and more blood flowed out of me.

"Come on, Hughes." I talked to him as I replaced my hand on his stomach. "You've gotta pull through. Elysia and Gracia are home waiting for you. You promised them that you would come home safely. Don't die on them. Please."

My tears mingled with the pouring rain wetting my face. Even when I closed my eyes they leaked out. I didn't have enough strength to stop them so I let them come.

My attempt yielded the same results. Instead of Hughes, it was my hand that became healed.

I choked back a sob as I readied the knife again. Another cut, another try, another wash of tears…

On my fifth attempt my vision was turning hazy. Everything took on a dream like quality and I had to fight to ground myself.

"Focus." I told myself. I placed my bloodied hand once again on Hughes and concentrated with all my might. I imagined my energy flowing into him and his body sewing itself together.

"Don't let this be the end." I begged.

Warmth spread from under my hand in a scalding sensation. I didn't pull back. I kept my hand in place and let myself go with the flow.

When the warmth faded so did the last of my strength. I was now seeing the world from the far end of a tunnel. Everything seemed so far away and it only got farther and farther as I fell into darkness.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I moaned as I slowly came into the world of consciousness. My body ached as if I had run a marathon and don't even get me started on the pounding in my head. There must have been tiny people inside my head hammering away at my skull. At least I knew I was alive. Heaven shouldn't hurt this much…Or maybe I was in Hell?

"Good to know you've returned to the land of the living." a deep voice spoke to me from somewhere close by.

So I was alive then? Could I have really survived so much madness in that one night? Could this be real? "Am I dreaming?…"

A soft, amusing chuckle came from the same voice's owner, "Do you dream about me often, Miss Riley?"

I pried my eyes open sluggishly and when I saw him I finally recognized the voice. I groaned, "Ah, I am in Hell."

Mustang smirked in response, "Is my company that bad? I'll have you know that there are many woman who enjoy it."

"Good for them." I muttered. I scanned my surroundings to find that I was yet again in another hospital. "I'm so tired of waking up in hospitals."

"Maybe you'll remember that next time you go looking for trouble." Mustang told me. "Would you like to explain to me what you were doing last night lying in the middle of a street passed out with Hughes bleeding to death beside you?"

I sucked in a breath, "Is Hughes…"

My question didn't need to be finished. He understood. "Hughes isn't dead. He's received medical treatment." I let out a sigh of relief. That sigh got caught in my throat when he went on to say, "It's strange. His most severe injury looked like he had been stabbed with some type of sword but…"

"But what?" I asked hesitantly.

"His internal organs, which should have been skewered as well, are perfectly intact. His front and back wounds indicate that he had been run right through but there's absolutely no damage to his organs." He fixed his dark eyes on me, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

I never realized until now how intimidating of a person Mustang could be. His gaze never wavered from me, causing me to fidget nervously, "Um, not really."

He cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, "Then tell me what you do know about last night."

I swallowed as I searched my mind for a believable excuse. I didn't think he would go for the whole amnesia story again. I was so screwed.

"Well, you see…I was staying with Mr. Hughes and his family while Ed and Al went to Dublith to visit their teacher."

"So that's why you're not with Fullmetal." he said as if answering one of his own questions.

I nodded, "And last night I overheard Hughes talking to his wife and it sounded like he was in some sort of bind. I was worried about him so I snuck out and hid in the trunk of his car so I could follow him…" My words trailed off and I hoped he would leave it at that.

"Go on." Mustang encouraged me.

"Uh, and then the car stopped at some building. I don't know where it was. But then I got out and was looking around when I saw Hughes run out being chased by a homunculus."

Mustang stiffened visibly, "A homunculus?"

"Yeah…" I said weakly, wondering where to go from there. "I jumped in to help Hughes out but then something happened…"

"What?" he asked, his full attention on me.

"We managed to escape the homunculus but there was someone else."

"Another homunculus?"

I shook my head, "No, well I don't think so." Mustang frowned at my indecisiveness and I explained, "There was something weird about this guy. He had this giant sword and he used this strange alchemy. It was powerful."

"Strange how?"

"I'm not sure how I can explain it. He didn't use circles or even clap his hands."

"…That sounds like what Fullmetal said about you."

I stared at him, trying to think around my panic. Could Mustang be on to something? What if Truth's swordsman had a Philosopher's Stone inside of him too? Somehow, I didn't think that was the answer. I couldn't voice my conjectures to Mustang. He didn't know about the stone inside me and I'd prefer to keep it that way. Hell, Ed and Al didn't even know that secret of mine.

"I don't know." I finally said. "I've only been able to do that a few times and I'm not sure how." That last part was a lie but a small one. I hoped he couldn't detect that. "But I think whatever this guy did was different. It was different than anything I had ever seen. He…he nearly killed Hughes and I. I got knocked out sometime during the fight. I don't know what happened after that."

Mustang sat quietly for a while, mulling over his thoughts. He took so long thinking that I became anxious. So anxious that I wanted to throw a pillow at him.

Eventually, he asked, "Have you remembered anything from before the train accident?"

His question startled me. I responded carefully, "No, not really."

"I see." he said, unblinking. He stood abruptly and went to leave. "I'll be in touch."

I stared after him as the door swung shut behind him. I wondered about what conclusion he had come to.

A nurse came in to check my vitals about an hour later. She said that I was perfectly healthy and could be discharged this afternoon. That made me happy. I've always hated hospitals. Ever since I came to Amestris my hatred has only increased. I couldn't wait to leave.

"Um, can I ask you something?" I asked the nurse shyly.

"Sure." she smiled.

"Can you tell me what room Lt. Colonel Hughes is in so I can go visit him?" I asked.

She pondered for a moment, "Hughes. You were brought in with the Lt. Colonel, right?" I nodded. She smiled at me again, "I don't see why not."

I thanked her as she escorted me to his room. His room wasn't that far from mine and we got there within the next minute.

"Here you go." she said happily and left me to it.

I went inside. The room was like any other hospital room. White, plain, and a tad depressing.

"Gracia?" I asked, startled.

The woman sat upright from where she sat in a chair at Hughes's bedside. She tried to smile at me warmly but her eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Taylor. I'm glad you're alright."

I nodded and glanced between a sleeping Hughes and Gracia. Hughes looked pretty banged up but I tried not to let his appearance get to me. Mustang said that he was going to be alright. My desperate attempt to save him had obviously paid off. I hadn't healed him completely but I had patched up the worst of it.

"He's gonna be fine." I promised Gracia in the hopes that it would make her feel better.

She looked back to her husband, "Maybe…"

My brows furrowed, "What do you mean?"

She turned back to me and this time she let the tears run free, "Taylor…he's in a coma."

* * *

><p><strong>Dun, dun, duuuuun!<strong>

**Cliffhangers, a readers worst enemy.**

**Thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed. I now have over 200 reviews! Eeep! And I assure you I read every single one and all of them make me smile and do happy dances. Keep 'em comin!**


	27. Chapter 27

**I have been writing like CRAZY this week! I'm almost done with the chapter after this one and I'm 99.9% sure that I'm going to post the next one on Sunday. I am too nice.**

**If you don't check my profile that often I want to tell you that I am always posting new stuff. If you like this story then go check out my new ones.**

**AHA! I killed you! MWAHAHA! ...sorry, I just killed a bug that's been terrorizing me for the past half hour. I hate bugs! Oh, I'm rambling aren't I? I'll just let you get on with the chapter, which sadly has only been edited by me. Roku's not going to be editing TBA anymore. But he is going to be editing Forsaken still. YAY!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 27<strong>

**One Stressful Day (part 1)**

(-Mustang-)

"Sir, are you feeling well?"

Mustang looked up at Hawkeye from his desk with weary eyes, "_I _will be fine." His thoughts returned to his friend who lay in the hospital.

Hawkeye understood and consoled him, "Lt. Colonel Hughes will wake up soon. Have a little faith."

He chuckled humorlessly, "Faith?"

She nodded, "Besides, I don't think even a coma could keep that man away from his family for long."

Mustang laughed again and this time a smile reached his eyes, "You're right."

With that aside, his lieutenant forged on, "How did your visit with Taylor Riley go?"

He placed his elbows on his desk and leaned into his folded hands, "The girl is obviously hiding something. There's no mistaking that she remembers everything from before Fullmetal and his brother found her by that train. I don't know why she would lie about that unless it's something she doesn't want the military to find out about it. The information she gave me about last night seemed genuine. Although, I could tell she left some parts out."

"Do you think the Elrics would know anything about this?" she inquired.

He thought about it, "Probably. I won't know until I ask them. I should have Fullmetal court-martialed for leaving Taylor here. He's supposed to be guarding her." Mustang pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache coming on.

"Could it be possible that Taylor is an accomplice of whoever attacked Hughes?"

This theory did not surprise Mustang in the slightest. He had already pondered this idea. He knew that Taylor wasn't telling the whole truth about what occurred last night. He had no background information on her whatsoever. When she had first appeared, he had searched through every record out there and had found no Taylor Riley matching her description. That didn't settle well with the colonel. For all he knew, she could be a spy from Drachma or one of the other opposing countries Amestris was at war with.

Mustang came to a decision and said, "Send Havoc in. I have a mission for him."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I sank down in the chair beside Gracia. Her words were running through my head, over and over.

"A coma?" I squeaked.

She nodded sadly, wiping away the wet streaks on her cheeks with a folded up tissue. "His body will heal but the doctors have no idea when he will wake up. They said there was a chance he may never…may never…"

Gracia struggled to say the words that she wished weren't true. I tried to distract her by asking, "Where's Elysia?"

"Hm? Oh, a friend of mine is watching her. I didn't want her to see her father like this."

My heart just about broke for Gracia. I couldn't imagine how awful she must feel. The pain she must be going through…all because of me.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly.

Startled, she asked, "Why are you apologizing? I don't blame you for this."

"You should." I said, averting my eyes. "I was there with him last night. I couldn't save him. I tried but…I wasn't strong enough."

A hand covered mine and I looked up at Gracia as she told me, "You can't beat yourself up for what happened to Maes. What matters is that you tried. Sadly, things just happen. I'm sure Maes is just glad that you're okay."

I squeezed her hand gently and let myself relax, "Okay."

And then suddenly, Gracia switched into worried mother mode, "But what on Earth possessed you to sneak out last night? I was worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry!" I squeaked again. "It's just that, I knew something was up with Hughes and I was concerned so I snuck out after him so I could make sure he was okay. Please don't be mad at me."

She shook her head, "I'm not mad at you. I just wish you hadn't have left without telling anyone first like you did. You shouldn't have been so reckless. I swear, those boys must be rubbing off on you. They worry Maes and I all the time."

I knew exactly which boys she was talking about. I smiled, "I guess they are rubbing off on me."

We sat in silence for a little while until Gracia decided that she needed to get back home to Elysia. She hugged me and said, "You're welcome to come back to our house when you're discharged."

"Thank you, Gracia." I smiled at her.

She put on a brave face and left. How difficult this all must be on her. And, no matter what Gracia said, this was my fault. Something must have went wrong when I had healed Hughes. I thought it had worked okay but obviously not. Maybe I hadn't acted soon enough. Or maybe this was the result when I tried to use my stone to heal others. Anyway, there was more than that to consider. Hughes had been attacked by Truth's swordsman because of me. The swordsman was only there because I was. It was all because of me.

Through my guilty thoughts came a voice, "Good afternoon."

I spun around quickly and found myself face to face with the same guy I was just thinking about. "You! What are you doing here?"

Truth's swordsman sat casually on the windowsill. Although he had a languid air about him and there was no humongous sword anywhere to be seen, I was still frightened. Why was he here? Had he come to finish the job? Would he kill Hughes and then come after me? I could only be thankful that Gracia had already left. Otherwise, she would have been caught up in my mess.

"You think that I am here to hurt you and the man." he concluded with that same emotionless voice he always used. "I am not."

I couldn't trust his words. This guy had made an enemy of himself after all he had done. Plus, I knew for a fact that he was working for Truth. I didn't know what he wanted exactly but I was certain that it couldn't be good.

"What are you doing here?" I repeated my question. I was pleased to hear that my fear didn't show in my voice.

"I am here to tell you that the fate of Maes Hughes rests on your shoulders."

I started, "What does that mean?"

"If you manage to win then Maes Hughes will awaken. If you fail, which is the more likely possibility, then he never will."

"So…you or Truth have something to do with his coma?" I gestured to Hughes.

He didn't answer or give me any sign. He simply said, "I doubt you will be successful."

I gritted my teeth, anger taking fear's place, "What are you even talking about? Truth kept mentioning some game that he wants me to play and you apparently know something about it. What is it you people want me to do?"

He turned his eyes to me, looking at me full on for the first time. "People?"

His response made me shudder, "So…you aren't human then?"

He didn't answer me this time either. In one smooth motion, he jumped out of the window.

I gasped and ran to look out of it. The man was nowhere to be seen.

I leaned back onto my heels. Had I just imagined that whole conversation? No. Truth's swordsman had been here and, even though what he told me confused the mess out of me, he gave me some insight. There was a chance now that Hughes would wake up and be okay.

"Hello!"

"Eeek!" I let out and whirled around.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" the Fuhrer asked me from the open doorway.

_Oh, dear God_, I thought frantically. _It's Pride! Or wait, is he Wrath? Gah! Stupid different series!_

"Um, no. I'm fine." I replied weakly. I was trying my best not to panic or let it show that I knew he was a homunculus.

"That's good." Bradley smiled, and if I didn't know any better then I'd say that his smile was genuine.

"Uh, is there something you wanted sir?" I stammered.

He chuckled, "Relax, kiddo. I just came to see how the Lt. Colonel was doing. From what I heard you two had a rough night."

"Yeah…"

"Care to explain what went down last night?"

I gulped. Maybe if I pinched myself I would wake up from this horrible dream. If only, if only…

"Well, you see…" I had no choice. I told him everything. And by everything I mean the same thing I told Mustang. It would be suicidal if I told him _everything_.

"Interesting." Bradley rubbed his chin at all that I had just told him. Then he laughed, "Things are always hopping in Central, aren't they?"

I shifted my weight nervously, "Heh, yeah."

"Alright then. I'm sure the Lt. Colonel will be up in no time. Have a nice day." With that, he left.

I nearly collapsed on the ground with relief, "Whew!"

I guess this meant that I was off the hook. From Bradley at least. Mustang might still have his speculations about me. But I would deal with that later. For now, I could be happy that Hughes and I were safe. Him being in a coma might actually be a good thing. As long as he was out of commission then the homunculi had no reason to go after him. I hoped…

With nothing better to do, I left to go back to my room. I walked down the halls sluggishly. My body felt strained and so tired. What I needed was more sleep.

As I opened the door to my room, I muttered to myself, "What's gonna happen next?"

"There you are."

"Eeek!" I jumped about a foot in the air.

"Sorry." Havoc said but I could tell that he was trying not to laugh at my reaction.

I growled, "What is it with people scaring me today? Freaking people comin out of nowhere like all of you are ninjas are something."

Havoc's brows rose, "Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the bed."

"I've been having a bad day." I grumbled. "Scratch that. I've been having a bad _month_." My sullen thoughts were pushed aside as I looked him over, "What are you doing here, Havoc?"

His eyes widened marginally, "I never introduced myself."

_Dang it! Way to go, moron!_ I yelled at myself. Now I had to come up with a lie as to how I knew him. Thinking on my feet, I said, "Ed and Al told me all about Mustang's men. I recognized you because of that."

He chewed on the cigarette I had pointed to, "I guess it wasn't that hard to figure out."

I shrugged and asked, "So what are you doing here?"

"I'm to act as your protection until the chief gets back to Central, Miss Riley."

His words were innocent enough but I caught the underlining meaning of this. "You were also ordered to keep an eye on me to make sure I'm not up to any trouble, right?"

He scratched his head and laughed, "You got a sharp eye, kid."

"I'm not a kid." I muttered. Lately, everyone had been calling me that.

He shrugged off my complaint. "The paper work is done so you're free to leave. Are you still staying at the Hughes's house?"

I nodded, "Gracia said I could go back there when I left."

Havoc's eyes turned sympathetic, "Make sure you go easy on the woman. She's going through a lot right now."

I put my hands on my hips, "Hey! Just because I hang around with Edward doesn't mean I act like him. I'm a sensitive person and I'd have to have mush for brains to not be able to see that Gracia's got it rough."

He snickered, "For someone who claims to not act like the chief you sure do have his temper."

"I do not!" I shouted back. "I already told you. I 'm just having a bad month."

"Sure." he rolled his eyes. "Let's get goin, kid."

"Don't call me that!" I snapped. "I'll have you know that I am sixteen."

At that, Havoc scanned me up and down pointedly.

"What?" I asked, annoyed at the look he was giving me.

He counted off on his fingers, "Same temper as Ed. Same age as Ed. Same stunted growth as Ed."

My eye twitched, "Ya know, I'm usually opposed to murder but I will make a special exception just for you." He smiled brightly at me, making me bite back, "Wipe that smile off your face."

He tried but wasn't very successful. He attempted to cover his amusement up by lighting his cigarette. I snatched it right out of his mouth and stomped my foot on it.

"Hey!"

"No smoking in a hospital, dingbat!"

He pouted at me like a four-year-old.

"Let's just go." I mumbled and stalked out of the room. Havoc gave a wistful look to the cigarette I had smushed and followed along with me. To be honest, I had always wanted to take that stupid cancer stick out of his mouth like that whenever I watched Fullmetal Alchemist. Since I was in the show I could actually do that. My spirits raised a tiny bit. That is, until Havoc muttered "Women." under his breath.

I scowled at him. Then my scowl transformed into a smirk as I responded, "Always on the wrong side of women, aren't you Havoc."

"I am not!" he sputtered back. "It's the damn Colonel's fault for stealing all of my potential girlfriends away."

I laughed at him, "You can't blame someone else for your own ineptitude. That's why you blew it with Armstrong's sister."

His jaw hit the floor, "How did you know about that? Not even Ed and Al know about that. They couldn't have possibly told you."

I grinned impishly, "I'm just good at reading people."

He took that at face value and mumbled, "You are one harsh woman."

"Yay." I said sarcastically. "I've been upgraded from kid to woman. I feel special."

We exited the building and I trailed after Havoc to his car. We got in and left the hospital.

"I'm so glad to be out of that place." I sighed.

Havoc glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, "I take it you don't like hospitals."

"No. I'd be crazy if I did."

He grinned, "Yet another similarity you have with the chief."

"So." I said nonchalantly.

"Say, you two would make a cute couple." he teased me.

I made a rude noise in the back of my throat and said, "You remind me of the older brother I'm glad I don't have."

Havoc chuckled at me and for the rest of the drive he left me alone. I glowered at the passing buildings and people out the window. I wasn't expecting to have Mustang act so quickly and put a pair of eyes on me. This would make what I had planned more difficult to do. Along with that, I've learned that Hughes is in a coma, that said coma is caused by Truth or his swordsman, and had an encounter with King Bradley. And all of this since I woke up. This was a lot of stress to put on one person. No wonder I was in such a foul mood.

We arrived at the Hughes's house and got out. Elysia came running out to greet me. I put on my best smile for her and picked her up in a hug.

"Yay! You're here, Sissy!" she squealed in delight. "Is Daddy with you?"

A twinge of guilt tugged at my chest. "No, honey. He's just really busy working is all."

Elysia was sad for a moment. She got over it quickly though and began talking at me in a stream of words. Some people might find it irritating but I found it adorable.

The three of us went to the house where Gracia stood at the doorway. "Lieutenant Havoc." she greeted him with a nod and then me. "Taylor, I didn't expect you back so soon. I haven't even got \lunch ready."

"That's fine. I'll help you fix it." I smiled at her. I wasn't going to be much help in the kitchen but maybe I could help get Gracia's mind off of her husband's condition for a little while.

She returned my smile and ushered us all inside. While Gracia and I prepared a chicken dish, Havoc sat at the table and chatted with us. Elysia sat at the table with him, coloring pictures. Soon lunch was done and eaten. I assisted Gracia in cleaning the kitchen and then there was nothing left to do.

"I'm going to go lie down." I told everyone. Gracia asked if I was feeling bad and I shook my head. "I'm just tired." I waved at them and climbed up the stairs. Once inside I got my bag and started packing my stuff inside it. I needed to leave before I got too comfortable here. There were places I needed to go. People I needed to see. I needed to catch up with Ed and Al and make sure that they hadn't run into any trouble. I couldn't stay in Central with Mustang and the Fuhrer watching my every move. I didn't doubt for a second that the homunculi were keeping an eye on me. They might even be planning on taking me out. The thought made me shiver.

I got my bag packed and had written a goodbye letter on a sheet of paper from my sketchbook. I tore it out, along with a picture I had drawn last night before I had snuck out. The picture was of the Hughes family. They all had smiles on their faces in the picture. Hopefully, I could make the picture come true and return their happy lives back to them.

I left those sitting on the bed and went to the window. I used the same tree I had used last time and shimmied down to the ground. And, just like last time, I nearly broke my neck.

"Ed and Al make this stuff look easy." I muttered. I avoided the front of the house and left from the backyard. With any luck no one had seen me escape.

I knew how to get to the train station from the Hughes's house so that was good. Even better, when I got to the station a train to Rush Valley was just about to leave. I slid into my ninja persona and snuck past the train personnel. My day must be looking up because I wasn't caught. I kind of felt bad though because I hadn't paid for the ride. Ah, well. What's a broke girl to do?

The train was filled halfway with people. None of them so much as glanced at me. I was just another stranger passing by.

I found a seat and settled in. I pulled a book out of my bag on alchemy to read for the trip. I was really getting into the hang of alchemy but I could always study it more. Whenever I've had free time I've been either studying the alchemy books Ed and Al had given me or practicing on my flute. I had been studying hard, yes, but it still amazed me how natural alchemy came to me. I wondered idly if this had anything to do with my Philosopher's Stone. Maybe I'd ask Truth the next time I saw it, which I sincerely hoped would be a long time from now.

I shut out my worries and focused on my book.

* * *

><p>(-Havoc-)<p>

"I'm getting worried about Taylor." Gracia commented. "She's been in her room for a long time."

"I'll go check on her for you." Havoc offered. He stood up from the couch and stretched out his limbs.

"You don't have to. I'll go." Gracia said.

Havoc waved her away, "It's fine. It's my job anyways." He went up the stairs and found her room quickly. He knocked softly on it. When he received no answer he knocked more forcefully, "Miss Riley?" Still no answer.

Frowning, Havoc tried the doorknob. It had been left unlocked. He opened the door to find an empty room. Surprised, he walked over to the bed where a picture and a letter lay. His eyes darted back and forth as he read the letter's contents.

Upon finishing the letter, Havoc ran his hand over his face and groaned, "Mustang's gonna kill me."

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Havoc. He has it so hard. Well, that wasn't much of a cliffhanger, right? Maybe this will satisfy you until Sunday.<strong>

**I love writing! It makes me so happy! And if you don't review I might esplode.**

**Al: Please review so LeFay doesn't explode.**

**Ed: And that would be a bad thing?**

**Al: Brother! That's rude!**

**Ed: Rude? LeFay's the one who hasn't put us in any chapters lately!**

**LeFay: I'm workin on it! Sheesh! Stop bugging me before I set Taylor _and_ Winry on you.**

**Ed: *gulps* Yes ma'am.**


	28. Chapter 28

**It is now 1:30 A.M. which is technically Sunday so I'm updating. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28<strong>

**One Stressful Day (part 2)**

(-Ed-)

The setting sun had left an orange haze on the bustling town of Rush Valley. The townspeople and tourists made their way merrily down the streets as they shopped at the automail shops. A light breeze had picked up and drifted pleasantly through the air. Birds were singing their songs of cheery tunes. And Ed and Al were fighting yet again.

"Brother."

"I said no."

"We have to."

"No we don't!"

"Edward." Al said in a serious tone. His little brother had to be irritated for using his full name.

Ed muttered something indistinguishable under his breath. Then he said more loudly, "It's her fault for running off."

"She's upset and she has every right to be." Al reminded him.

The older Elric scowled and rubbed his head absent mindedly where Winry had smacked him with her wrench. She had completely lost it when she had found out that Ed had used alchemy to win in that arm wrestling competition. She didn't even care that they were swindling people by using alchemy first! All she saw was Ed's wrong doings. And now she had run off to gate knew where. For all he knew, Winry had left Rush Valley altogether.

"I wish Taylor was here." Ed mumbled.

"What was that?" Al asked, leaning forward.

"Nothing." Ed said quickly.

"No, I think you just said that you wished Taylor was here." And if Al had a face his expression would be smug, "You miss her."

Ed's face flushed crimson as he stammered, "I just meant that she would be better at dealing with this stuff cause she's a girl." For a brief moment, Ed felt the urge to look over his shoulder to make sure Taylor wasn't there to hear his sexist comment.

Al's stern mood turned into a teasing one, "You like her. Just admit it."

"Yeah, duh. Cause she's our friend." he pretended to miss the implication.

"No, I meant _like_ her. As _more_ than a friend."

Ed's face turned an even deeper shade of red, "I do not! What the hell are you even talking about? Just shut up talking nonsense and help me find Winry before it gets dark." He turned his back to his brother and stomped away.

Al chuckled and ran to catch up with him.

Ed wouldn't say it but he was also worried about Taylor. She had been up to something and wouldn't tell them about it. She had purposely stayed behind in Central, but for what? For the life of him, Ed couldn't figure it out. He just hoped that whatever it turned out to be it wasn't so serious that she would get hurt.

* * *

><p>(-Havoc-)<p>

It had been many hours and many packs of cigarettes since Havoc had discovered that his charge had given him the slip. He had scoured the entire city and had come up with nothing to Taylor's whereabouts. Now, Havoc had the extreme displeasure of being the one to tell his boss how incompetent he was.

Taking a deep breath, Havoc knocked on the door to Mustang's office.

"Come in." came a curt reply from inside.

Steeling himself, Havoc entered the room.

Mustang glanced up from a document he had been reading. Seeing who had interrupted his work, he raised a brow, "Havoc? Didn't I give you orders to watch Taylor Riley?"

Havoc rubbed his head sheepishly, "Well, about that. We kind of have a problem."

Mustang's only reaction was the throbbing vein in his temple, "What kind of problem?"

He grinned nervously, "Miss Riley…she sort of…got away."

Mustang heaved a heavy sigh and covered his face with his hand, "How could you let her get away?"

"It's not as if I wanted her to." Havoc defended himself. "She's just sneakier than I thought she would be. I searched around the whole city but I couldn't find her."

"You shouldn't have bothered. She wouldn't have stayed in Central." At Havoc's questioning stare he explained, "She's either gone to find the Elric brothers or somewhere else where she thinks the military can't find her. She's smart enough to realize that there are people questioning her involvement with what happened to Hughes and her being here in Amestris in general. Because of how little information we were able to find on her she might be from another country, maybe even a spy from one of the countries opposing Amestris."

"You think that girl is a spy?" Havoc said in surprise, his cigarette almost falling out of his mouth. His thoughts went back to the teenager he had seen earlier that day. Sure, she had plenty of spunk, but a spy? He just couldn't wrap his head around it.

Mustang nodded, "I'd like to believe otherwise but there's just too many questions about her. If she did go off somewhere unknown then her actions would further imply that she is indeed a spy. But if she went to go find Fullmetal, which I think is the more likely of the two, then she probably just wants to get away from Central and the military. Either way, she's still hiding something important from us."

"Like what?"

Another vein popped up on Mustang's forehead as he replied irritably, "If I knew do you really think that we would be having this conversation?"

"Uh, no." Havoc backed off wisely.

His superior officer made a visible attempt to calm himself, "We'll just have to wait and see where she went. Until then, you're dismissed."

Havoc saluted him and went to leave, thanking his lucky stars that he had gotten off without a single burn from the Flame Alchemist.

"Oh, and Havoc?" Mustang called back to him.

Havoc began to turn but quickly jumped back as a string of fire flashed in front of his face, nearly singeing his eyebrows off.

"Don't mess up next time. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal." Havoc gulped and scurried out of the room.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I almost missed my stop because I had been doing some heavy duty snoozing. Seeing that we were in Rush Valley, I grabbed my bag and shuffled off of the train.

I exited the station and instantly became bombarded with automail. Seriously, it was everywhere! Sure there were a few shops that didn't solely sell it but the majority of Rush Valley held automail shops. I have to say, I had a couple of Winry moments. When I walked by something especially shiny my A.D.D. kicked in and I ran to the windows to inspect the metal limbs. Sparkles lit my eyes as I looked at them all. It's my first time in Rush Valley so don't judge me.

Even at night the city had people going up and down the streets buying or selling. Central may be a larger city but Rush Valley certainly had more people, albeit most of the people were only passing through. Rush Valley was apparently a big tourist attraction.

At first, I enjoyed myself by window shopping. Then I got bored. It's not very fun to look at all of these pretty things when I had no money to pay for them. Along with my being bored I also became antsy very fast. For one, there were _way_ too many people around for my liking. I could hardly go down the streets without running into someone. I did a few times and they were not happy about it. Another reason I was antsy was because I needed to get a move on and find Ed, Al, and Winry. They were probably around here somewhere. Let's see…They had left yesterday, which seemed like forever ago, so they might be here. Or they could have already gone to Dublith. In which case, I would be searching Rush Valley for nothing. I had to make sure they weren't here though before I moved on. If I didn't find them soon then I would have to go ahead and go to Dublith.

My stomach growled, pulling me out of my thoughts. I closed my eyes and groaned, "I'm sorry tummy but I don't have any food to give you."

It growled again, as if saying, "Then go get some!"

I frowned down at my stomach, "With what? If you hadn't noticed I'm kinda broke."

People were giving me strange looks as they passed me. I must seem pretty odd, talking to myself. I shrugged their stares off and kept on walking. Now, where are they…

_One hour later…_

"Ugh!" I grunted as I slumped down on a bench. My feet were killing me from running around the whole freaking city! I didn't see hide nor hair of my friends, if they were even still here. And to make matters worse, I was _starving_! I hadn't eaten since I was in Central. Taylor no happy when she is so hungry.

"Where are they?" I whined to myself. If I could find them then I could make them give me _food_!

"Hey cutie." someone said.

I glanced up and sure enough, the person had been speaking to me. He was a few years older than me, had scruffy dark hair, super thin lips, a nose that looked like it had been broken to many times, narrow eyes, and an average build. He appeared plain and harmless enough. That was not what my instincts were telling me.

He propped a foot on the bench where I sat and leaned into his knee, "What brings a pretty girl like you to a city like this?" The way he smiled at me sent shivers down my spine.

I kept my face blank as I answered half truthfully, "I'm here with my friends. In fact, I should be going to catch up with them. Have a nice day!" I clutched the strap to my bag tightly and got up quickly.

"Hey baby! What's the rush?" he tried to say silkily but it came across creepy.

"I'm running late." I threw an excuse at him and went to leave.

"Come on, babe. Don't be like that." he said, sliding his hand over my butt.

Startled, I gasped and jumped away from him as if I had been burned.

He leered at me, "You like that?"

Losing the blank expression I had strived for, I let my face contort in disgust, "I'll show you what I like." He had pissed me off! This creep was going to pay.

I clapped my hands and touched his clothes. Sparks flew around them and they were ripped to shreds, leaving him in nothing more than his boxers.

He yelped and ran like I was the devil himself.

I roared after him, "You better run!" Then I began muttering to myself, "Stupid, freakin, rotten, no good perverted piece of sh-"

"Taylor?"

I turned around and could have cried in relief. "Finally!" I said and hugged the giant suit of armor. It was a bit awkward with how big he was but I didn't care. I was just glad to see a familiar face. "You're a sight for sore eyes."

Al chuckled, "I thought it was you I heard. But what are you doing here?"

I released him and huffed, "Looking for you guys! You wouldn't believe what I've been through lately and- Wait a minute. Shouldn't there be two blondes with you?"

Al rubbed the back of his head timidly, "Well, Winry got mad earlier and ran off. Brother and I split up to search for her. I was looking for her but I found you instead! What a coincidence." So Winry had run off? Must have been that arm wrestling competition Ed had cheated in.

I smiled, "Well, I'm glad you found me cause I am _starving_! Give me food!"

He laughed at my demand, "Okay. Let's go meet up with Ed first and then we'll get you something to eat."

"Yay!" I sang happily. "You are my favorite person right now."

"You're easily pleased, aren't you?"

"Yes! Just give Taylor food. Preferably mac and cheese, but just give Taylor food and she will love you forever."

"Mac and cheese?"

"The best food ever created."

"Oh…"

"Taylor loves her some mac and cheese."

"Um, Taylor?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you talking in third person?"

"…I blame the starvation."

We walked through the city and this time I didn't mind. I had found my friends and the promise of food was making me positively perky! What was with these mood swings? I had went from severely pissed off to happy go lucky. Maybe I'm going crazy from the lack of food…Hm…food…must eat…fooood….soooo hungry!

"Taylor?" Al asked glancing at me worriedly. That's when I realized I had been voicing my thoughts aloud. Oops.

I laughed, "Don't worry, Al. I promise I'll be saner when I get some food in me."

"Okay. Just don't try eating any of the pedestrians."

"Jeez, Al. I'm not so hungry that I'd go around trying to- Oh look! A squirrel!"

Al sighed and began dragging me away from the delicious looking critter. If you squinted at it, it almost looked like a chicken leg.

"But I wanna eat it!" I whined. "Please? Just a little bite?"

"No." Al told me firmly.

I huffed and crossed my arms, letting my feet drag as he pulled me down the sidewalk.

"This is where we agreed to meet." Al said after a minute. "He should be around here somewhere…There!"

I hopped up and stepped around him to see. Across the street standing in front of a bookstore was Edward. He seemed pretty interested in whatever he was staring at. His brows were furrowed in either concentration or frustration. His usual frown tugged at his mouth. Another wave of happiness rushed through me by seeing him. I didn't realize how much I would miss the brothers when they left. After staying with them for so long I had grown used to them being around. Seeing them both now brought great relief to me.

"Hey Al, hold my bag for a second." I told him as an evil idea came to me.

"What are you going to do?" he asked as he took the bag.

"Something I've always wanted to do ever since I started watching FMA." I smiled deviously. I took off as fast as a bullet. Poor Edward never saw me coming. When I got close enough I jumped into the air and glomped him to the ground.

"WAAAAH!" he shouted as I tackled him. We landed on the ground with me on top of him. It didn't hurt me that much because Ed had broken most of my fall. Hee hee.

Eyes clamped shut from pain, Ed groaned, "Whoever you are, prepare to be murdered."

I laughed and grinned at him. My grin got even bigger when he opened his eyes and saw just who had tackled him.

"Taylor?" he asked incredulously.

"Hey chief." I smirked, our faces so close that our noses were almost touching.

"What are you doing here? And why the hell did you just tackle me?" he yelled at me.

I smiled, "I dunno. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

He scowled at me. His face turned into a color resembling his coat, whether from anger or embarrassment, I didn't know. "You can get off me now."

I laughed and climbed off of him. Once free, he stood up to brush his clothes off. "And since when do you call me chief? Have you been hanging around Havoc or something?"

"I spent the better part of the day with him, yeah."

Ed gave me a questioning look but I ignored him. Instead I took my bag from Al who had come to meet us. Ed didn't back down, "Why would you be hanging out with Havoc?"

I sighed, "Let's just say a lot of things have happened since you guys left Central." He was about to say something else but I cut him off, "I'll tell you all about my adventures but only if you get me some grub."

Ed glowered at me, wanting to refuse me and have me just tell him already. Al came to my rescue…sort of…

"Please just get her some food, Brother. I'm afraid of what she might do if she doesn't get fed soon."

I frowned at him, "You make me sound like a dog."

Ed smirked and patted my head, "Nice doggie."

I gave him a 'WTF' look and barked, "Arf?"

He snickered and led the way to a restaurant. I thought about sticking my tongue out at him and walking away…but then I wouldn't get any food…so yeah, I followed along like a _nice little doggie_.

We went to a nice sized place that was oddly busy. I say oddly because it was around nine at night. I guess this was how it always is around here.

We sat in a booth and Ed and I ordered our food. I got chicken, potatoes, green beans, and a roll. Ed got steak, corn, rice, potatoes, and a roll. Then we had to wait agonizingly for them to fix the food…I swear if I didn't get something to eat soon I would start gnawing the table.

"So?"

I glanced up to see Ed waiting impatiently. "So, what?"

He rumbled, "You were going to explain what's been going on in Central."

"Oh, that can wait until later. I'd much rather hear what's been going on with you guys." I said, knowing it would anger him.

Ed nearly blew a gasket, "What?"

"Brother, calm down." Al attempted to placate the steaming chibi.

"No!" Ed snapped. "We've been searching for Winry for hours not knowing if she's okay or not and now Taylor suddenly shows up saying something happened but she won't give the details. I am not in the mood to be calm. I want some answers."

"She is." I said, making both of them stare at me. "Winry, I mean. She's okay. She ran off after she found out that you cheated and used alchemy in that arm wrestling competition, right?"

"They cheated first!" he shouted angrily. Then his eyes widened, "Wait, how did you know about that? You weren't even here."

I gave him a look that said, "You are so stupid."

He smacked his head, "Right. I forgot. You're from the other side."

"So you know where Winry went?" Al asked hopefully.

"Not exactly." I smiled sadly. "I just know that she got mad at Ed and ran off and will catch up with you guys tomorrow." That is, if events were following the original anime. I forget what happened when they came to Rush Valley in Brotherhood so I'm not sure if this coincides with that. It could be either of those situations or neither. There was just no way to be absolutely sure.

"Here ya go!" our waitress said cheerfully and placed our orders in front of us. I think I might have scared her a little bit when I dived for the chicken hungrily. She scurried away, glancing at me nervously as if I would go after the customers next. Al gave me a funny look too, which just goes to show you how use to hanging around with the brothers I am because I can read his nonexistent facial expressions. Even Ed seemed surprised by how ravenous I was. He didn't comment, eating his own food in silence for a while.

I had nearly eaten all of my food when Ed asked, "Why are you here?"

Not entirely understanding what he meant, I guessed, "Cause I'm hungry?"

Ed's permanent frown deepened, "No the restaurant, stupid. Why did you come to Rush Valley instead of waiting for us to get back?"

I ignored the 'stupid' comment and replied, "There were too many eyes on me there."

"What do you mean?" Al questioned.

Sliding my empty plate away, I explained, "Mustang's starting to get suspicious of me. Well, even _more_ suspicious than he already was. And with the Homunculi showing up I just-"

"Wait, wait, wait. Back up. You said the Homunculi were there?" Ed asked alarmed.

"Brother." Al warned him. Ed noticed what Al was getting at. The customers closet to us were giving us interested glances. This wasn't a conversation for any stray ears.

"Let's go." Ed said. He paid for our meal and we left the building. The streets were too crowded to talk about what we had been discussing so we saved it for when we got to their motel room.

"Alright. Spill everything and leave nothing out." Ed demanded as soon as the door closed.

I flopped down on the couch, the only piece of furniture besides the two beds and end table. "Alright then. You might want to sit down for this."

They did as I told them and now they sat waiting. Taking a steady breath, I began, "Last night, I followed Hughes because I knew something was up. The Homunculi showed up with the intentions of killing him but I intervened. I distracted Envy long enough for us to escape." Here, I paused. Should I tell them the rest? If I continued to travel with them and they didn't know then I would be putting them at risk. It would be better if I went ahead and got this over with. "We got away from Envy, but then this other guy showed up. I saw him once before, on the night I went to find you guys at the fifth laboratory. When I met him, he seemed to know me. He didn't say much or really try to hurt me. All he did was steal the map that I had been using to find the lab and then he just walked away. That's why I got to the lab so late."

"Why didn't you tell us about this before?" Al asked, a tinge of hurt in his voice.

I cringed, "Well, I figured you guys had enough problems of your own. You don't need to be burdened by any of my problems."

"You idiot!" Ed yelled at me, causing me to snap my head up and look at him.

"What?" I asked dumbfounded.

Al tried in a softer tone than his brother, "I think Brother is just trying to say that you're our friend and that you're not a burden. We would feel worse that you didn't ask us for help than if you had."

"And I thought you said you would tell us important stuff." Ed said.

"Well, it didn't seem all that important at the time. I thought I could handle it myself." I fidgeted.

That made him even angrier, "You don't have to handle it yourself. We trust you so why can't you trust us more? Get it though your thick skull that you don't have to hide everything from us."

"You know I can't tell you some things." I reminded him sternly. But then my shoulders slumped in defeat, "But this guy, I've never seen him before. He shouldn't be apart of this at all. It's so confusing. And you're right. I should have told you guys about this sooner."

"Tell us now." Al implored politely.

I nodded and finished telling them about last night. I told them about the fight with Truth's swordsman. How he hurt Hughes badly. How he had touched my tattoos and made them glow red. How I had somehow come to stand in front of Truth itself. The perplexing conversation between it and I. I skipped over the part where I healed Hughes. I still couldn't find the courage to tell them about my Philosopher's Stone. Instead, I skipped to when I had woken up in the hospital with Mustang there. I told them about how I went to Hughes's room and how Truth's swordsman had shown up.

It was there that Al stopped me, "Did he attack you again?"

I shook my head solemnly, "No, he came to deliver a message. In order to save Hughes I have to win this game they keep talking about."

"What do you mean 'save Hughes'?" asked Ed.

"Hughes…I'm sorry to tell you guys this but he's in a coma."

"What?" they both exclaimed.

"I think Truth or that guy had something to do with it."

"I can't believe it." Al said, in shock.

Ed shook his head back in forth, staring at me wide eyed as he murmured, "No…he can't be."

"He was only trying to help us. That must be why the Homunculi came after him, because he got too close to something."

I tried to relieve their guilt by saying, "That's just the kind of guy Hughes is. He loves to help people. That's what makes him such a great person."

Moments passed and the silence descended tensely upon the room. The longer the brothers consumed what I had told them, the more quiet Al became and the more angry Ed got. Ed reached a point where he stood up and paced the room furiously. I jumped in my seat when he punched the wall, embedding a dent in the wood with his automail hand.

"Damn it!" he screamed. I thought he was just mad at the whole situation. I was wrong however when he began raving at me. "You should have told us! You knew! That's why you stayed behind in Central. If you had told us we could have been there too!"

I tried to reason with him, "But then you might have died. And I'm trying to stay as close to the timeline as possible so that nothing goes wrong."

"You and Hughes damn near did!" he spat back at me. "Damn it, Taylor! You've already died twice! Do you want to die again?"

My own anger reared its ugly head as I responded, "Of course not! I was just trying to-"

"Get yourself killed? Yeah, I can see that!"

"You guys, don't fight." Al begged, but his pleads were left ignored.

"Hughes would have died if I hadn't have done something."

"And yet, he's in a coma." Ed said accusingly. "If you had warned us we could have prevented this from happening!"

"Don't you think I know that!" I shouted. This silenced him. My voice held more than just rage. It held overwhelming guilt. The strong feelings made tears form in my eyes and sobs to hitch in my throat. "I knew that I could have told you guys! I knew I could have asked you to stay with me there! But what if that made things worse? What if people died, people I care about, all because I screwed up? I have no idea if just the simplest action on my part completely ruins it all. I tried to do what I thought was right. But Hughes still got hurt because of me. Even when Truth offered me a way home I refused because I wanted to fix what I had messed up. But I still couldn't…I couldn't…"

The tears flowed down my face as my body was racked with sobs I could no longer hold in. All of the stress, all of the guilt, all of the pain and fear, everything, came crashing down on me. There's only so much one person could take. My limits had been exceeded long ago.

"Taylor." Al reached for me.

I stumbled back away from him, "I'm sorry." I leaned against the door and looked at them through my blurry sight. Al obviously wanted to comfort me but didn't want to cause me further distress. Ed stood there, frozen, staring at me. His golden eyes held many emotions: pain, fear, regret, sadness.

"I'm sorry." I cried again, opening the door so that I could flee into the night.

* * *

><p><strong>I had so much fun writing this chapter! Writing for Taylor when she's hungry is very funny. And the part where Ed pats Taylor's head and she barks at him, I do that to her in real life and that's where I got that part from. And Taylor really is addicted to mac and cheese.<strong>

**Remember! If you review I will insert you into my story _Frog War_. Maybe that'll give some of you incentive enough to review. Believe it or not, getting feedback from my readers, be the review good or bad, improves my writing. It helps me to know what I'm doing write or wrong so that I can tweak whatever's necessary.**

**See you next week!**


	29. Chapter 29

**Guess what you guys? Wednesday, Feb 15 is my birthday! I will be a legal adult. That's right! Watch out world! Cause I'll be eighteen. To celebrate, my sister is going to take me to the Corner Bar so I can go sing karaoke to the gay people. Whoo-hoo! But it makes me kinda sad because I'm getting old. We've been doing a lot of senior stuff at my school this week and it just reminds me that my high school experience will be over soon. Both a curse and a blessing. Oh! By the way. I wanted to tell you guys what my class ring looks like. On one side it's got the yin yang symbol and on the other is a PS2 controller. I think it fits me perfectly.**

**I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, even though I think it's kinda a filler. The next chapter will be filler too, but the good kind! Anyway, the title for this chapter comes from the song _Fighting For Nothing_, by Meg&Dia.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

**Are You Fighting For Nothing?**

(-Ed-)

Taylor ran out the door crying. Ed wanted to go after her. He tried, but his feet were rooted to the floor. All he could do was stare dumbly at the open door, her words running through his mind.

_I tried to do what I thought was right. _

That's what Taylor had been doing from the beginning.

_ But Hughes still got hurt because of me. _

Even when she had tried her hardest.

_ Even when Truth offered me a way home I refused because I wanted to fix what I had messed up. _

She had given up so much just in the hopes of setting things right.

_ But I still couldn't._

If Ed felt guilty for getting Hughes involved in their problems, Taylor had to be suffocating from it all.

_I'm sorry…_

"Brother?"

Ed looked into Al's glowing red orbs. He sighed, "I know, Al. I know." Not needing any further encouragement, Ed ran out into the night.

He hurried down the streets of Rush Valley, staying close to the motel. She couldn't have gotten far. She had left her bag at the motel. Even if Ed couldn't find her she would have to come back soon. But he couldn't sit around waiting for her to return. Anything could happen to her in the meantime. And currently, she was hurting. Ed had been overwhelmed by his emotions and taken his anger out on her. He had been harsh on her, true, but that didn't change the fact that she should have trusted them more. Ed felt betrayed that she hadn't confided in him. Though, he could understand her reasoning.

While he searched around the area, he considered all that Taylor had been through since she came to Amestris. She had survived through things that would have killed a weaker person. Her personality had always been upbeat, friendly, joking, caring, wise when needed, and strong. However, one bad event had been piling on another after another for the longest time. She had been close to falling apart and Ed had pushed her over the edge. Ed cursed at himself for being such a moron. He had every right to be angry but he hadn't wanted to make her cry.

Turning another corner and still coming up empty, Ed recalled a morning that felt like months ago. It was the morning after he and Al had saved Taylor from the group that had kidnapped her. She had died twice that night. Ed had brought her back the first time. The second time baffled Ed. He still had no idea how she had come back to life. It should have been impossible. Perhaps it could be some ability she had gained from crossing the gate? Or her tattoos?

Shoving those thoughts aside, because Ed would never figure it out no matter how much he thought on it, he returned to that morning after. Taylor had been unable to hide how upset she had been. Ed had comforted her to the best of his ability. He had never been good at that sort of thing and it was awkward, but nevertheless she had calmed down. It had been one of the few times that she had let down her walls. You wouldn't know it by looking at her but she could feel weighed down just like anybody else. She tried to not let it show because it would only worry the people around her. That's just the kind of person Taylor is: considerate.

Ed remembered her words from that morning. _I know the real you Ed. I know what you've been through and how much it takes for you to move forward every day. You put on your bravest face to make everyone think your okay but inside you're not okay. But you hope that if you act like everything is fine, then everything will be. I know that because I do the same thing. I may not have experienced the horrible things you have but in the things I have been through I'd always put on my bravest face and take whatever comes my way. I'm not used to letting people see me like this._

Taylor and Ed were just alike when it came to trusting people enough to let them see their weaknesses. They put up walls between that part of themselves and the world to protect that vulnerable part. Ed wanted nothing more than to be the one to break down her wall. And, maybe, he would be able to put down his wall for her.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I didn't get very far. I made it to a secluded alley and slumped down to the ground. Hugging my knees, I sobbed. I should have known Ed would be angry with me. I should have known that he would take it badly. I should have known that he would blame me. That didn't make it any easier. It still hurt.

The night air breezed across me, making the wet streaks on my face like ice. I had left my jacket with the rest of my stuff back at the motel. The temperature was cold and my long sleeve didn't cut it. I shivered in the darkness. I wanted to my jacket but I couldn't go back to get my jacket or my bag. No. I wasn't wanted there. I had no place here in this other world. All I had been doing since I got here was screwing things up. I should have left when Truth offered a way home. It would be better if I were gone. It would be better if I had never met the brothers.

These thoughts made the pain in my chest tighten and more tears spill over. A loneliness ached within me, one like I had never known.

My sobs had reduced to whimpers by the time Ed found me. I guess he came to make sure that I was okay. Or, more than likely, he wanted to yell at me some more. I didn't want to hear anymore. I couldn't take anymore. I didn't need to be reminded about how much of a pathetic screw up I am. My mind already tortured me enough by whispering these words in my ears over and over. And it hurt worse because I knew they were true.

He had barely stepped into the alley when I dragged myself off of the ground. I didn't look at his face. I was too afraid of what I'd see. Instead, I turned my back to him and began to stumbled away from him.

Ed caught my wrist in a firm grip, effectively stopping me. I glared at his hand, refusing to meet his gaze. "Let go."

"Where are you going?" he demanded.

"Away." I said definitely.

"Away where?"

"Away from you!" I shouted, finally looking at his face. His surprise ran across his features. "I'm going to leave. Maybe then I can't hurt you guys so much. I don't want to be the cause of your pain…" He had loosened his grip enough so that I could break away. I resumed walking away from him.

Then he was suddenly there. Ed stood in front of me, blocking my path.

"Move." I ordered.

"No." he said stubbornly.

"Damn it, Edward! Why can't you just let me go?" I said, my eyes watering once again. I just couldn't control the waterworks lately.

"Because I don't want to lose you!" he nearly shouted back at me. At that, I felt my heart skip a beat. He continued speaking fervently, "After everything we've been through together you can't expect me to let you go so easily."

"You're better off without me." I said sadly.

"Let me decide what's best for me."

"But I keep making mistakes."

"Big deal! Everyone makes mistakes now and then. Many are doomed to repeat the same mistakes because they don't learn from them. We make mistakes, we learn from them, and we move on for the better. That's the way of life. To obtain anything you have to give something up first. Equivalent Exchange."

"I have learned from my mistakes! And so I don't repeat them I'll leave. That way I can't-"

I was cut off by Ed shaking my shoulders roughly, "Are you even listening to me?" Finally, I looked up at his face. His eyes shone bright with determination. "Removing yourself out of the equation doesn't solve anything. To make a better outcome you have to fix the variables to create a different solution."

"Huh?" I asked, lost.

"You can fix this but you have to _try_!" he growled. "And if it's too hard for you to handle by yourself then you can come to me or Al. We can help you but you can't give up. If you walk away now then everything you've done, everything we've been through, it'll all be for nothing."

But I had been trying. Hadn't I? Haven't I been doing all that I could? If I had would I be feeling this bad? No. Somewhere along the way I could have done more. I could have trusted Ed and Al more than I had. If I had only told them then the circumstances could have been different. _Better_. Hughes could have been alive and well and not in a coma. If I hadn't of been trying to do everything on my own things could have worked out differently.

A part of me still felt that Ed and Al would be better off without me. If I left then I wouldn't have to worry about interfering with the timeline. But Ed was right. If I turned my back on all of this then it would be for nothing. All the happy times, the painful times, all of our time together would no longer matter. I didn't want all of my actions to be for nothing. I wanted them to mean something. I had come this far already. I couldn't throw it away now.

"Are you sure you want me to stay?" I asked him. I did, I truly did want to stay with them but this decision should be up to them.

Ed closed his eyes and sighed. He reached down with his flesh hand and took one of mine in his and proceeded to pulling me down the street.

"If I didn't do you think I'd really be dragging you back to the motel?" he asked.

I let him pull me along. As I watched him from behind, seeing that golden head of his set upon firm shoulders, a slow smile enveloped my face.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

After Ed had knocked some sense into me, we went back to the motel and things between the three of us returned to normal. I apologized to Al the moment we got in. Al's such a forgiving person that he assured me that everything was okay. We sat around the small room and chatted about miscellaneous things for awhile. Then it got late enough to turn in for the night. I went into the tiny bathroom and changed into my pj's: a pair of green sweat pants and a white tank top. I exited the bathroom and tossed my bag on the floor beside my bed. I flopped down on the mattress with a sigh.

Ed looked over from where he lay on his bed and glanced at where I had dropped my bag. He sat up, squinting his eyes, "What's that?"

"What's what?" I asked leaning over the side. I hadn't closed the bag all the way and something stuck out of it. "Oh! That's the sketchbook Gracia gave me." I pulled it out, careful not to rip the pages.

"I didn't know you liked to draw." Al commented, sitting on the couch.

I smiled, "Yeah. I love to draw. Not to brag but I'm pretty good at it." Then I coughed, "I'm so bragging."

Ed smirked, "If you're so good then you won't mind if I take a peak."

He reached over but I held the sketchbook away from him, "Mine." He reached for it again, causing me to threaten him, "I'll bite you."

Rolling his eyes, he laid back down on his bed, "Whatever. I don't care."

_Sure you don't_, I thought to myself. Just to prove that he was lying, I began flipping through the sketchbook. I made various faces at the pictures, laughing to myself and then stopping and glancing at Ed to check if he was looking. I caught him glancing from the corner of his eye at me. He tried to keep his face blank. It didn't work. His annoyance showed.

He lasted about two minutes. He couldn't stand it any longer than that. He jumped up and snatched the book away from me and ran across the room to sit by Al. "Let's see what kind of things you draw."

I couldn't help but smile. I didn't really care if he saw the pictures or not. I watched Ed's face as he and Al eagerly leaned over the sketchpad. The first picture was the same one I had shown Hughes. It made Ed's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. At first he was too overcome with shock to do anything. Then he burst into a fit of laughter. Al joined in with him and even I giggled a little.

"That is great." Ed smiled, wiping tears out of his eyes.

"You're a great artist Taylor." Al complimented me.

"Thank you. I try." I said cheerily.

"Just one question though." Ed said. He turned the book so that the picture face me. "Why did you draw me with cat ears?"

Indeed, the picture I had drawn was of Ed with cat ears. In the picture, I drew two chibi characters: Ed and Mustang. Ed had cat ears and a tail and Mustang had dog ears and a tail. Mustang was lying flat on the ground and Ed sat on his back with a huge victorious grin on his face.

I laughed and answered, "Cause they look cute on you."

Ed blinked and I caught the faint blush on his cheeks before he went back to scanning the pictures. On the second picture, Al gasped, "That's me!" Ed nodded, mouth partly open. They were staring at a drawing of Al with his human body. In the picture, he was the same age as he is now. It showed him sitting on the ground playing with some kittens.

They flipped through the rest. There weren't many left. I had drawn the one of Al and the rest of them on the train so I hadn't had more time to draw anymore. One was a drawing of a girl with angel wings. Another was a darkly shaded tree. Another was of flowers. And the last was a chibi version of myself.

When they got to the last one, Ed laughed. I asked him why. He said, "You look so tiny."

I frowned and acted like I couldn't understand him, "No habla ingles. Yo no comprende."

"What?" Ed asked, confused.

"Yo querer Taco Bell."

"Uh, Taylor? Are you speaking in another language?" Al asked.

"Si."

"…What does that mean?" asked Ed.

"Si."

"Will you cut that out?"

"Nonononononononono!" I chanted, shaking my head back and forth.

"Weirdo."

I narrowed my eyes at Ed, "Que?" Then I smiled impishly and said, "Edward es muy pequeno."

"What did you say about me?" Ed asked, glaring at me. The only thing that I had said that he comprehended was his name. Poor thing.

I faked a yawn and said," Hasta manana." Then I jumped under the covers and pretended to be asleep. Before Ed went to bed as well, I heard him and Al whispering to each other for a couple of minutes. They were probably wondering if I had lost my sanity. Ah, well. It was just too fun yanking their chain.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I woke up fairly early the next morning. It had been awhile since I had had such a restful sleep. I sat up in the bed, stretching for all I was worth.

"Good morning." Al said softly, as not to wake the still sleeping Edward.

"Morning." I nodded with a smile. For an odd moment, this whole situation hit me. I was waking up to yet another morning with the Elric brothers. I guess I'd never completely get over the fact that I was in an anime.

"Something wrong?" Al asked from the couch where he had been reading a book.

I shook my head. No. Everything was becoming right. And I would be determined to makes this day a good one. And the one after that. And the one after that…

"Al, can you do me a favor?" I asked, slipping out of the bed and padding over to him.

He put the book down and gave me his full attention, "Sure."

"I really want brownies for breakfast. Can you go get some brownies please?"

"Brownies? For breakfast?" Al asked bewildered.

"What, you never had brownies for breakfast before?" I asked skeptically. He shook his head. "Well, you've been missing out, buddy boy. There's no better way than to start out the day with a nice batch of chocolatey brownies."

"But I don't think they sell brownies in Rush Valley. I didn't see anywhere that sold them."

I pouted, "Tengo mucho hombre."

"…What?"

I opened my mouth to say something but then my stomach growled loudly. I patted it pitifully and said, "I know. I want brownies too." Then an idea hit me, "Hey! Why don't you go buy the ingredients to make brownies! That way we can cook it here." There was a small area of the room that had a stove and tiny counter. It would be enough to bake brownies.

"Are you sure?" Al asked uncertainly.

"Yeah. Here, I'll write down everything that we'll need." I ripped a blank sheet out of my sketchbook that had been left out and jotted down all the supplies I would need to make a big batch of brownies. I had watched my mom plenty of times when she made her special brownies. I knew what went in them. Too bad I wouldn't remember until later that I couldn't cook and had never baked brownies in my life.

I gave the list to Al and he left to fulfill his task. I would have went with him but I was still in my pj's and I could use a shower.

The bathroom shower was the smallest shower I had ever seen. Ah, well. Beggars can't be choosers. At least the water was nice and hot. It sprayed at the right amount of force on my body as I scrubbed off yesterday's grime. I enjoyed it so much I stayed in there a good twenty minutes.

I rinsed off, making sure all the shampoo came out of my hair. Satisfied, I turned off the shower and stepped out. I rubbed down with a big, fluffy towel. I just love that feeling when you get out of the shower and feel so clean. I wrapped the towel around myself and looked at my reflection in the mirror. I did a couple of kung-fu poses cause I felt like being goofy.

Once I got bored, I turned to put my clothes on. Then I came to a startling realization. I had left my bag in the other room!

"God, why do you hate me?" I whined. I was so not looking forward to what had to be done.

Securing the towel around me, I peaked out of the bathroom by cracking the door open. The room had remained the same from when I had went to take a shower. Al was still gone and Ed lay sprawled out on his bed, snoring softly. It was now or never.

I tip-toed out, attempting to be silent. The whole time my mind was screaming, _Don't wake up. Don't wake up. Don't wake up._ Halfway there, I stepped on a creaky floorboard. _Uh-oh._

"Taylor?" Ed mumbled sleepily. His eyes were barely open, staring at me blearily.

"Uh…This is just a dream. None of this is real. Just go back to sleep." I told him softly.

"Okay." he murmured, his eyelids drooping shut.

I blew out a sigh of relief.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

He had woken up momentarily and thought he saw Taylor moving around the room. A reassuring voice had told him he was just dreaming and to go back to sleep, so he shut his eyes back sleepily. His thoughts drifted lazily as he tried to figure out what he had seen. He thought it had been Taylor. It sounded like her. There was something off about her though, as if she were dressed strangely. As if the thing she wore was a towel.

Ed's eyes snapped open and he lurched forward, "Taylor?" Standing in the middle of the room was Taylor. She held her bag in one hand while the other kept a towel around her. A towel! She was still dripping wet from what must have been a shower and she stood there in a big, white, fuzzy _towel_! The fabric only went from her chest down to mid-thigh, covering her up decently enough but leaving a lot of skin bare.

As Ed gaped at her, he could only think one thing, _Damn!_

The next thing he knew a thick book smashed into his face, courtesy of Taylor. He flipped off the bed from the force of it. He heard the hurried sounds of Taylor escaping to the bathroom and slamming the door.

Ed peered over the top of the bed and stared wordlessly at the now closed bathroom door. He felt the need to pinch himself and so he did, just to make sure this wasn't a dream. When he didn't wake up he determined that what had just taken place had certainly _not_ been a dream.

Collecting himself, he got up off of the floor and sat heavily on his bed. "That's one way to wake up," he muttered to himself.

A few minutes later Taylor reappeared from the bathroom. Although she was now fully dressed, Ed's mind flashed back to the sight he had woken up to. Warmth spread across his cheeks as he tried to rid himself of the thought. However, the image had thoroughly been seared into his brain.

Taylor attempted to act normal, as if the whole thing had never happened. Regardless, embarrassment radiated from her. She didn't dare look at Ed and her entire body stayed tensed as she sat on the couch.

"So," Ed began. His voice came out weird. He coughed and tried again, "So, where's Al?"

"Getting breakfast." she answered tersely.

They sat in silence for several minutes, neither of them willing to speak. Ed's mind kept going back to that image of Taylor in nothing but a…

_No! Bad Ed! _he scolded himself. _Get your mind out of the gutter and stop thinking about Taylor with water dripping down her smooth skin and a towel barely covering those large__-__ Oh, gate! Make it stop!_

"Um, Edward?"

Ed's head snapped up. Taylor sat with her back against the armrest of the couch. Her head turned slightly in his direction so that she could peak around her damp hair. A timid expression filled her features, making her look vulnerable. Her luminous green eyes stared into Ed's gold ones. She looked extremely adorable.

Ed averted his eyes. What the hell was wrong with him? Why was he thinking like this? Sure, he was a guy and it's not like he doesn't ever notice girls. But Ed had seen Winry in nothing more than a tube top and short shorts and she had never effected him like this. It's not that Winry wasn't pretty. In fact, Ed and Al used to fight over who would marry her all the time. But Ed couldn't think of her as anymore than a sister. Winry had always been there for him and Al. She was more than a friend; she was their sister. Ed thought that maybe his feelings for Taylor was more than just a friend. But not like a sister because he didn't feel the same way for Taylor like he did Winry. Then…what?

"I'm sorry." Taylor apologized.

Ed risked a glance at her. She had turned away from him again. "What for?"

"For, uh, throwing that book in your face."

"Oh." Ed said, rubbing his forehead. He had to admit, the girl could throw a book just about as good as Winry could a wrench. "It's fine."

"…You're not going to, um, tell Al about…you know…"

Ed's face reddened. He covered his face with his hand hopelessly, "No. I'm not."

"Okay." she said in a small, somewhat relieved voice."

Ed began to stammer, "But, uh, don't throw another book at me for asking, but why were you…what were you doing?"

Taylor grabbed her sketchbook and flipped to an empty page. She began drawing to distract herself, "I left my bag in here when I had went to get a shower."

Ed nodded, not saying anything. He made a quick trip to the bathroom, splashing cool water on his heated face to calm himself down. When he felt better, he came back into the room. His eyes fell on Taylor. Yet another blush crept up his face. He cursed at himself and threw on his coat and stormed out of the room, throwing an, "I'll be back," over his shoulder. For the next several minutes, Ed could be seen banging his head against a wall

* * *

><p><strong>Ha! Ed can't control his perverted thoughts. I think even Ed would be affected if he saw a half naked girl like that. And I am so evil for putting Taylor in embarrassing situations! XD<strong>

**Here's what Taylor said in Spanish in order: "I don't speak English. I don't comprehend." "I love Taco Bell." "Yes." "Yes." "What?" "Edward is very small." "See you tomorrow." "I have much hunger."**

**I want to tell you guys that I did not come up with the naked Taylor part on my own. Someone on here inspired me to put that in there but for the life of me I can't remember who! I searched through numerous pm messages but couldn't find who it was. Whoever it was please tell me who you are and promptly smack me in the head for my forgetfulness.**

**I'll update the next chapter on Sunday. That's right! Another double chapter weekend! Who do ya love?**


	30. Chapter 30

**Okey dokie! I now know who it was who inspired the towel scene. Sense Marauder. My deepest apologies again for my lack of brain cells. You have my permission to whack me with a fish. But on the bright side I'm going to be posting "Taylor's Method of Seduction" very soon today. That's going to be a one-shot alternate story of the towel scene.**

**Thanks to all the cool people on here who read and/or review this. You guys make me feel so happy! _If you're happy and you know it clap your hands_!**

**Taylor: No!**

**LeFay: Aw, come on! That songs a classic!**

**Taylor: Don't make me hurt you.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 30<strong>

**Brownies!**

(-Al-)

Al came back to the motel to the strangest sight. His older brother stood outside banging his head against a wall repeatedly. His forehead hit the wall loudly.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

"Brother?"

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

"…What are you doing?"

_Thunk. _"…Don't ask." _Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

What could have happened while Al had been gone? Had Taylor and Ed gotten into a fight? That still didn't explain why Ed felt the need to hurt himself. Al wanted to know but his brother didn't want to talk about it. Al would have to ask someone else.

"Taylor?" Al called as he walked into the motel room holding the groceries she had sent him for.

"You're back!" Taylor hopped up from the couch and skipped over to him. She took most of the supplies from him and sat them on the counter. She skimmed through the items and smiled, "Yep. That's everything!"

"Um, Taylor?" Al asked hesitantly. "What's wrong with Brother? Did something happen?"

Taylor's smile wilted, "Why do you ask?"

"Because he's outside banging his head against a wall."

Her face momentarily went blank. Then it contorted with rage and she stormed outside.

Al, although curious, feared Taylor's wrath too much to follow her out. He remained inside where it was safe.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed willed his mind to stop thinking. With every _thunk_ he attempted to control his perverted thoughts.

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

"Ed!"

He immediately stopped and looked at her. His eyes widened at Taylor's furious expression. Ed knew in that moment that she would show no mercy.

So it completely baffled him when her features lost their tightness and she began to pout. Voice thick with tears, she asked, "Was it really _that _bad?"

"Uh…" he said stupidly. "I-uh…"

"I look so horrible that you have to beat the image from your mind?"

"No, that's not-what I mean is-I, uh," Ed stammered for an excuse. Truth be told, he had been trying to beat the image of seeing Taylor earlier out of his mind. Not because he didn't like it though. Because he liked it too much.

"Well?" she demanded.

"Um." What the hell should he say? If he told her he liked it then she would hit him. If he told her he didn't she would hit him. He was dead either way. But staring into those eyes of hers, he had to say something. "I was just trying to get rid of a headache." After the words had left his mouth he could have hit himself for saying something so stupid.

Her eyebrow lifted at the lame excuse, "Oh, really? You're trying to get rid of a headache…by hitting your head…"

"Uh…yes?"

"Uh-huh." She turned away from him, frowning, "Whatever, Edward. Let's just forget that little incident this morning ever happened." Clearly upset, she spun on her heel and marched inside.

_Thunk, _"I'm such an idiot."

The door opened and Ed glanced over. Al's head poked out.

"What?" Ed asked.

"Nothing. I was just making sure that Taylor didn't kill you." Then he went back inside.

Ed groaned and went in as well. He dreaded facing Taylor but Ed was no coward. He would face his fears…Even if they killed him in some horrible way, though Ed wouldn't mind as long as they were wearing that fuzzy towel again…_Wait, what? Dear gate, what is wrong with me?_

Inside, Taylor rummaged around the tiny kitchen area. She had been chatting to Al. Her words died as Ed entered the room. She gave him her best scowl and turned her back to him. That just frustrated Ed even more. He hadn't even done anything wrong! What did she want from him? Why did she get so upset? _Women,_ Ed thought, _I'll never understand them_.

Al came over to him and whispered, "Talk to her." He shoved Ed lightly in Taylor's direction. Ed sent him a glare that Al responded to by pointing to Taylor, obviously wanting Ed to do as he said. Ed hung his head and obeyed, trudging over to Taylor.

"So, what are you making?" Ed asked as a conversation starter.

"Brownies." she answered curtly.

He grinned at her, "I like the way you think." She didn't smile back. She remained focused on her task of setting up the ingredients.

Ed looked over his shoulder for a moment, hoping to get some encouragement from his brother.

_ Where'd he go?_ Ed wondered. Al was nowhere to be seen. He must have snuck out while Ed had been distracted. But he was a giant suit of armor! How did Ed not notice him sneaking away? His brain must really be fried today. And now he stood alone in a room to face an angry Taylor by himself. His day just kept getting better and better.

"Okay, I think this is right." Taylor said to herself. She looked back and forth between the recipe she had written out and the various ingredients.

"You eat brownies a lot for breakfast?" Ed asked, wanting to ease the tension between them.

"Sometimes." Another one worded answer. Not good.

"Aren't you worried that you'll get fat?" Ed asked.

Taylor narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you implying something?"

"Uh, no of course not!" Ed stammered. "I didn't mean for it to sound like I thought you were fat. But your not a toothpick either. But that's a good thing! I mean, uh…I'm just gonna shut up now."

She shook her head, "Oh, I know. LeFay used to tell me something like that all the time."

"Like what?"

Then, to his utter astonishment, Taylor sang, "_I've got all the right fluff in all the right places!_"

Ed busted out laughing. That had to be the most random thing he had ever heard. "This LeFay sounds like quite a character."

"Oh, she is." Taylor said, a genuine smile creeping up her lips.

"So who is she?"

Her eyes began to shine as she explained, "She's my best friend from back at home. We've always been close, like sisters really. We grew up in the same town, Farmerville. We went through our school years together. She's entertaining to have around and always finds a way to make me smile. Though she can be a bit of a dingbat sometimes, she's always been there for me when I needed her."

"She sounds very important to you." Ed commented.

"Yeah." Taylor said, her smile turning sad. "I miss her." Abruptly, she snorted.

"What?"

"I was just thinking if she found out where I was she would die," she laughed.

"Why? Would she not believe that you could cross through the gate?"

Taylor laughed harder, "No. She _would_ believe it. I don't think there's a person who would believe it more than her. She's a hardcore FMA fan."

"FMA?"

"That's Fullmetal Alchemist abbreviated."

"Oh."

"Yeah, she's your biggest fan."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. If she somehow showed up here she would probably try to rape you as soon as she saw you."

"…I don't think I ever want to meet your friends, Taylor."

"They're not all that bad. Well, except for Ragan who laughs whenever someone dies in a book or movie. And Amy because I think she's going to find a way to take over the world someday. And Duey who likes to wear skinny jeans when it should be illegal for him. And Chance who has holes in his earlobes and his own set of key blades. And…you know what? I take back what I said. They are all that bad."

"They sound…interesting." Ed said, relieved that these people were in another world, meaning he would never have to meet them. All of them sounded weird. "Uh, Taylor? You got eggshell in it."

"Dang it!" Taylor muttered, getting out the offending pieces. "I can't crack eggs for anything." She cracked another one. She had hit it too hard and now the egg seeped onto the counter. "Ah! Why does this have to be so complicated?"

Ed rolled his eyes, "It's not."

"If it's not then you do it." she scoffed.

"Give me an egg." he held out his hand. She placed one in his palm, her eyes watching his every move. He tapped the egg against the counter and smoothly broke it over the mixing bowl.

"Show off." Taylor muttered.

"You're just jealous."

"Of what?"

"My amazing egg cracking abilities."

"It's not my fault I didn't inherit my mom's cooking skills." she pouted.

"That's why you've got me here, to help you with all the things you can't do."

"Hey! You make it sound like there's a lot of things I can't do."

"Well…"

"I'll have you know I have many talents."

"Name one." Ed challenged.

Taylor put her hands on her hips and mimicked a certain sparkly man, "The great gift of sarcasm! Which has been passed down the Riley family for generations!"

Ed laughed, "Nice."

"Did I get it right?" she smiled.

"Yep. You sounded exactly like him. So much in fact that I'm worried you might start to sparkle."

"So you see them too!" Taylor exclaimed. "I thought I was just imagining it!"

She finished stirring the mix. Ed didn't know how good a cook Taylor was. From the sound of it she wasn't very good, but the mix looked right at least.

"Okay! Time to cook us up some brownies!" she cheered. Then she stopped and stared at the bowl, deliberating something.

"What is it?"

"I was just thinking about trying something."

"And that would be?"

"Cooking using alchemy!" she said, and clapped her hands together.

"No, Taylor! Don't-" Ed shouted. He couldn't stop her. She had already touched the bowl and the transmutation began. Blue sparks lit the room. The mix in the bowl began to bubble. Then it exploded. Chocolatey, brownie mix splashed all over the two of them.

"Oops." Taylor said, looking at the mess she had made.

"That's an understatement." Ed growled. "You shouldn't have done something that stupid!"

"I wouldn't call it stupid!"

"Then what would you call it?"

"…A moment of weakness?" Taylor tried. "Okay, okay. I know it was dumb. I just really wanted brownies and not have to wait on them to bake and I thought it would be cool if I could just use alchemy to bake them super fast."

"But you overdid it." Ed pointed out. "And now it's all over us."

"At least it tastes good." Taylor said, licking her finger.

Ed rolled his eyes, "Whatever."

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked as he began to walk away.

"To wash this stuff off."

"No! Don't do that!"

"Why?" Ed asked, puzzled.

"It's wasteful!"

"Well, what do you want me to do then?"

"Eat it!"

"…No."

"Then I'll eat it for you." she said. She grabbed his hand, leading it to her mouth so she could lick his finger.

Ed stood frozen, unable to do or say anything as Taylor licked his fingers clean of the brownie mix. Part of him felt mildly disgusted at this. But the other part of him was focused on the way her tongue slid over his skin, sending a shiver down his spine.

She glanced up at him, still holding his hand. She stared intently at his face. Ed realized what she intended to do and went to escape. He didn't get far. Taylor tackled him to the ground. Then she began licking his face.

"What the hell are you doing?" Ed demanded, trying to get the girl off of him. For such a small girl she had pinned Ed effectively.

"Stop squirming so I can get it all!" she yelled at him. _Lick. Lick. Lick. Lick._

"Get off of me!"

"Not a chance! I have you right where I want you." Her tongue grazed up his temple.

"Don't make me use alchemy on you." Ed warned.

"You wouldn't hurt little ole me." _Lick. Lick._ "Tasty. I won't stop until I've eaten all of the chocolatey goodness!"

"You'll never take me alive!"

"I already have!"

Ed squirmed underneath her. His face flushed red, half from frustration and half from…well, Taylor licking his face.

"You're fear only sweetens the feast."

"I don't fear you!" Ed snarled. Taylor stopped and looked down at Ed considerately. Ed fidgeted, "What?"

"You really don't find me intimidating?" Taylor asked, curious

"Hell no!"

"I can be intimidating." she narrowed her eyes at him and leaned closer. Her nose practically touched his as she glared at him. Then a soft growl passed her lips, "Grr."

Ed ceased all movement as he stared at her. He made no other reactions. Seeing this, Taylor tried again, "Grr."

His lips twitched as he fought a smile.

Again, Taylor growled, "Grr. Grr!"

Ed couldn't take it anymore. He laughed in deep chuckles.

"Why are you laughing?" Taylor demanded.

"No reason." Ed said, biting his lip to keep from laughing again.

"You'll pay for that." Taylor vowed and began licking his face once more.

"Cut it out!"

_Lick. Lick. Lick._

Taylor continued to lick, following a streak across his cheek that led down and to the right. She flicked her tongue again and again, getting closer to his mouth. She stopped when she came to his lips, unsure what to do. They stared into each others eyes for a long moment.

The door to the motel opened momentarily. Al took a step in and saw them on the floor. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt." Then he quickly went back out.

"Al! Wait!" Ed yelled. "Get your metal butt back here and save me, damn it!"

"Oh, calm down you big baby. I'm done." Taylor said, going to get off of him. As soon as Ed had leverage, he countered her and spun their bodies around so that Ed was the one pinning Taylor to the floor.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Taylor shouted, not liking this one bit.

"Revenge!" Ed grinned.

She stared at him, one of her eyes twitching dangerously, "You wouldn't dare."

"Obviously, you don't know me as well as you thought you did." Ed smirked and leaned forward. He began licking her face mercilessly.

"Eeew! Gross, gross, gross!" she chanted, wriggling to get free.

"Now you know how I feel." _Lick. Lick. Lick._ "Hey, this stuff is pretty good." Ed commented.

"That's why I didn't want to waste it!"

"Alright. You win." Ed conceded. "I'll make sure none of it goes to waste." He then proceeded to licking her face clean of the substance.

"Stop it! It tickles!" Taylor giggled.

"Make me." _Lick._

"Eh! You're breath stinks!"

"Deal with it." _Lick. Lick. Lick._

"Ugh. You're getting your slobber all over my face."

"Yep." _Lick_.

"Oh, hey! Look a squirrel!"

"I'm not falling for that."

"Dang it! Why am I the only one who falls for that sort of thing?" Taylor squirmed some more but all to no avail. "What do I have to do to get you to stop?"

_Lick. Lick. _"What do you have to offer?"

"Money."

"You don't have any."

"Food!"

"I'll stick with this, thanks."

"A fist in your face!"

"Try again."_ Lick. Lick._

"The answer to the meaning of life?"

"Sounds tempting." _Lick._ "And what is the meaning of life?"

"Forty-two."

" …Really?"

"Yeah."

"…Hm." _Lick. Lick._

"Hey! Stop it!"

"Nope."

"How about I give you bacon? No one can resist bacon!"

_Lick. Lick. Lick._

"Except for Edward, that is."

_Lick. Lick. Lick._

"Damn you."

_Lick._

"You're evil."

_Lick_.

"You'll pay for this."

_Lick._

"I hope zombies eat your brains!"

Ed couldn't take it anymore. He went into a fit of laughter. His amusement was so great that Taylor managed to wriggle out from under him and escape to the bathroom. Ed, still chuckling to himself, rolled over and stared at the ceiling. _Best freakin breakfast I ever had_.

* * *

><p><strong>Even though this chapter's on the short side I loved it! I hope you guys did to. The masses demanded fluff and so I granted them their fluffy EdXTaylor moments.<strong>

**Props go to AnimeVamp1997 for inspiring this scene. And I totally agree with you. Ed is an idiot cause he can't even recognize love.**

**As a birthday present I would really like to get 300 reviews by my birthday. We got 291. Come on peoples! We're almost there! We can do it! Just put your game face on and sing, _I wanna be a macho man! Macho, macho, macho, macho._**

**Taylor: Shut up!**

**LeFay: But why?**

**Taylor: Cause you're scaring the readers and, quite frankly, you sound like a dying cat when you sing.**

**LeFay: *sniffles* You're mean.**

**Taylor: _I'm_ mean? You're the one who's mean for putting me in all of these embarrassing situations!**

**LeFay: But they're funny.**

**Taylor: *narrows eyes dangerously***

**LeFay: *gulps* You're plotting my destruction right now, aren't you?**

**Taylor: *nods head slowly***

**LeFay: Sorry my loyal readers. I may not make it to the next chapter.**

**Taylor: *begins to drag LeFay away***

**LeFay: Go on without me! Live on, my furry friends! We'll meet again in the next life!**

**Taylor: Not if I can help it.**


	31. Chapter 31

**I'm back! I have escaped the clutches of Taylor! All I had to do was distract her with bacon and I easily got away. hee hee**

**This is by far the longest chapter I have ever written, so I'm only updating this one chappy this weekend. And I apologize for not knowing the peoples names in chapter. You'll know what I mean when you read it. I just felt like too much of a lazy bum to find out their names.**

**Me and Taylor's stupid argument of the week is about what kind of dog Taylor would be if she were one. Yeah, we're weird like that.**

**A big thank you for everyone who told me happy birthday and reviewed. 325 reviews! You my friends rock my rainbow socks!**

**Without further adue, here's the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 31<strong>

**Rain, rain go away…**

(-Taylor-)

After I _thoroughly _washed my face of all of Ed's slobbery germs, we hit the town to search for Winry. Al kept giving us weird looks. I couldn't blame him. I would be suspicious too if I had walked in on Ed and I and that questionable position we were in. Al eventually got up the nerve to ask us about it.

"Oh, that?" Ed chuckled nervously as we walked through the morning crowds of Rush Valley. "Uh, nothing was going on! Nope! Nothing at all!"

I suppressed a grin as a devious plan formed in my mind. "Ed, we might as well tell him. He's going to figure it out eventually.

"What?" Ed exclaimed, not knowing exactly what I was talking about. Nevertheless, whatever I was going to say he did not want his brother to hear.

"Al, I have a confession to make." I told him solemnly. Ed had begun to silently freak out. "I was trying to kill Ed."

"I knew it!" Al shouted. Then he stopped, "Wait, what?"

"Plain and simple. Taylor did it, in the kitchen, with a spatula."

"Huh?" the brothers gave me confused stares.

"How can I be any clearer? I was going to shank him with a spatula!"

"Shank?" Ed lifted an eyebrow. He looked to his brother, "What does that mean?"

Al shrugged, "I don't know but it sounds dirty."

"Oh lord." I face palmed. "The point is that I had intended to unleash my wrath upon Edward but at the last second I decided to spare his life."

"Spare my life?" Ed asked incredulously. "If I recall correctly, which I do, you were the one begging for mercy!"

"Only because I let you go first!" I retorted. "If I hadn't then you would have never gotten the upper hand."

"Ha! You don't even realize that I was going easy on you. I could have gotten free anytime I wanted to."

"Then why didn't you before then?" I challenged.

"You guys, don't fight." Al pleaded.

Ed paid him no mind and scoffed, "Only because I was afraid that I would hurt you. I mean, I am so much stronger and bigger than you. It would be easy to hurt a tiny thing like you."

Oh no he didn't. "You take that back! You're just as small as me anyway!"

"Yeah, but I'm taller than you." he smirked triumphantly as he illustrated our height difference by holding his hand above his head and moving down to mine.

My eye twitched as I glared at him murderously, "Don't make me bite you."

Ed didn't take my threat seriously. His first mistake. He wagged his finger in front of my face, "Ah, ah. Be a nice doggie."

He had crossed the line. There was no turning back. In the blink of an eye I had bit down with all my might on that annoying finger of his…And I regretted it instantly.

"Ow!" I cried, jumping back and holding my face. "Why didn't you tell me that was your freaking automail?"

Ed laughed at me, "You shouldn't have bit me. Maybe you'll think next time."

"You are so dead." I said in a dark voice.

Ed grinned and ran off while saying, "Not if you can't catch me!"

"Get back here!" I screeched and chased after him.

"Ed! Taylor! Wait!" Al shouted behind me. All of us ran at top speed through the throngs of people. So it wasn't too surprising that we became separated.

By the time my sense I had caught up with me I was already lost. Ed had disappeared from my sight a couple of minutes ago and I couldn't find him anywhere. Nor could I hear any of Al's shouts anymore. I had lost Ed and Al had lost both of us.

"Great." I moaned to myself, stopping to catch my breath in an alley. Here I was, lost in the middle of Rush Valley. It doesn't get any better than that. "This is all your fault Edward. I swear, once I find you, you are going to pay severely. Especially for making me run."

I had just managed to get my breathing under control when I felt a presence behind me. I turned around to either kill Ed or thank my lucky stars that Al had caught up with me. The people I faced were neither of them.

"Well, look who we have here." the man in between the other two goons spoke up.

My eyes widened in recognition. I took an involuntary step back and hit a brick wall. I was cornered. Not good.

He sneered, "Not so tough today, are you girlie?"

I kept my mouth shut and frantically searched my mind for a plan of action. If it had just been the one guy, like how it had been yesterday, I could have taken him on. But he had brought his friends. I was outnumbered. Their expressions clearly said that they meant business. I might be able to use my alchemy on them but that was risky. We were in close quarters and there's was no guarantee that I would be able to control the transmutation. Whatever I tried, it might backfire.

They inched closer. I cringed into the wall. I wasn't a fighter. And I'm not any braver than the average person. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared.

Someone stood on front of me, causing the trio to step back.

"She's with me." Ed told them sternly.

I exhaled a sigh of relief. I had nothing to fear anymore. Not when I had the Fullmetal Alchemist as my bodyguard.

"Taylor, have you been causing trouble again?" Ed asked me casually.

I grunted, "Well, it's your fault for running too fast."

I only had a view of the back of his head but I bet he smiled at that.

The goons were getting antsy. The one in the middle acted at the speaker again and said, "Butt out, kid. I've got business to settle with this girl. Not you."

"You two know each other?" Ed asked me, glancing over his shoulder.

I frowned as I answered, "Yeah, I ran into him yesterday. This jerk grabbed my ass."

Ed's eyes went pitch black within a millisecond, "He did what?"

The jerk sneered and stated proudly, "I sure did. And I'm going to do even more to the little bitch."

Anger flared in me momentarily. It went away as I saw that it was unnecessary. Ed took things right out of my hands and I was completely okay with it.

"YOU BASTARDS! DON'T YOU DARE CALL HER THAT OR EVEN THINK ABOUT LAYING YOUR FILTHY HANDS ON HER!" And the shouting continued as the human tornado known as Edward proceeded to beating the scumbags half to death. I cheered for him on the sidelines, enjoying the show. "Come on, Ed! Kick 'em where it hurts!" By the time Ed was done none of them were left conscious. I doubted that they would be up and about any time soon.

"Let's go." Ed told me, grabbing my hand and leading me away from them. I happily obliged. No way did I want to stick around here.

Ed dragged me through the various streets, lost in his own angry thoughts. I didn't know where he was taking us but I guessed that we were going to look for Al. Or maybe Ed was still so consumed with rage that he had no idea where he was going either. Knowing him, he was probably thinking about beating those guys up all over again. The thought made me smile.

Ed eventually slowed down some, keeping his hold on me. He glanced at me, noticing my expression. "What?"

"You defended my honor." I said with a starry-eyed look.

A blush flared in his cheeks as he averted his eyes. He released my hand and stuffed both of his in his pants pockets. "They shouldn't have treated you that way. And if anyone ever tries something with you again tell me and I'll kick their ass."

"Aw, Ed." I cooed. "I didn't know you cared so much."

He blinked, taken aback. He didn't have time to respond because Al found us then.

"Brother! Taylor! There you are. You shouldn't have run off like that." he scolded us.

"Sorry Al." I apologized for the both of us.

"You seem like you're in a better mood." Al noticed my big smile.

"Yep." I said cheerfully. "And I'm ready to go! Full speed ahead!" I grabbed their arms and pulled them forward.

"Hey, what's the hurry?" Ed asked, slightly disgruntled.

"Winry's around here somewhere. If I'm right we should run into her today." Now that I thought about it I wondered who else we would meet here. Would Izumi and Sig show up here or would we see them when we got to Dublith? And what about Ling? I was certain that Ed and Al met him in Rush Valley. That was in Brotherhood though and I wasn't sure when exactly that happened. But as I was beginning to see, anything was possible.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The morning passed steadily with no sign of Winry. As more hours went by Ed's impatience increased. He even suggested once that we leave her behind. I knew he wasn't serious but Al admonished him nonetheless. When afternoon crept in I began to worry. What if she had run into trouble? In the anime she met back up with the brothers safe and sound. I had to remind myself that this was real and _not_ just a TV show. Anything could happen. And the whole situation could be altered because of me. My being here changed things. I prayed that any future changes I made to the timeline were good ones.

"Taylor, can't you just tell us where she is?" Ed asked as we took a break on a bench.

"No." I sighed wearily.

"Come on." Ed groaned. "All this walking around is killing me. Telling us where Winry is isn't going to hurt anything."

"That's not why I can't tell you." I huffed, annoyed. "I can't tell you because I don't know where she is. And if I did I would have already told you instead of walking around Rush Valley for _hours_."

"Alright, alright! I get your point." Ed held his hands up in surrender at my angry tone. He slumped back on the bench and stared up at the sky. Al and I scanned the crowd in the hopes of seeing a familiar blonde girl. Maybe I thought if I stared at the crowd long enough I would magically find her, like I was playing a game of 'Where's Waldo'.

"She's got to be around here somewhere." Al muttered to himself.

"Maybe we could lure her out." I suggested.

"What do you mean?" Al asked.

I sat up and jumped into my explanation enthusiastically, "We could get something like the bat signal, but I'm not sure how effective that would be during the day, which brings up the question of what the people in Gotham City do when crime strikes in the daylight. Of course, we wouldn't use a bat to signal her because that's Batman's thing. We could use something like a wrench. Have a giant wrench lit up in the sky as a signal."

They both stared at me like I had lost my marbles. Ed looked to Al and asked, "Did you catch any of that?"

Al shook his head, "No, I got lost when she started talking about bats."

"Ugh," I moaned. "Freakin Amestrians don't know what I'm freakin talkin about."

"I don't think anyone ever knows what you're talking about." Ed remarked.

"No, no eres mas que una estupidez."

"What does that mean?" Ed yelled.

"Esto significa que usted debe aprender el espanol."

He glared at me, "Are you just trying to piss me off?"

I pointed at him in a disapproving manner and quoted my Spanish teacher's favorite phrase, "No seas feo."

Thankfully, Winry showed up before things could get violent. She ran up to us with a smile, "Hey guys. Where have you been? Hi, Taylor….Taylor?"

"Hi Winry." I smiled at her shocked face.

Ed looked scornfully at Winry, "Where have _we _been? Where have _you _been? We've been looking for you everywhere!"

Winry got over her surprise at seeing me here and turned to Ed, "Yeah, sorry about that. Hey Ed, can you do me a favor and let me see your pocket watch?"

"What? Why?" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

She held her hands in a pleading gesture, "Please! I'll give it right back. I promise."

Ed hesitated. Then grumbled, "Fine, but only to look this time." He pulled the watch out of his pocket and held it out for her. Winry's hand never touched the watch. She had never intended to anyway.

A figure sped past us, snatching up Ed's watch and leaping onto the roof of a building.

"Hey!" Ed roared at the thief.

"Here's the deal." Winry stated confidently. "It's you against her. If you can get your precious watch back from her before she reaches the pawn shop then you can have it back. But you lose if she gets there."

"What the hell, Winry!" Ed exclaimed in fury.

"Catch me if you can!" the girl on the roof, who I remembered was named Peninya, called. She disappeared over the building.

"Better run fast." Winry smirked at the raging alchemist. Ed gave her a parting glare and tore after Peninya.

"Winry? What's going on?" Al asked confused.

I smiled at Winry, "You're trying to teach Ed a lesson, right?"

She grinned back at me, "Exactly. Ed needs to learn how to appreciate good automail."

I laughed, "I don't think Ed's going to forget this for a long time."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Things followed the events from the show. Ed had caught up to Peninya and gotten his watch back. Peninya almost fell off a building due to her busted automail leg. Ed used alchemy to break her fall and then Winry, Al, and I arrived. Winry and Ed kind of got into it but in the end Ed was subdued. Winry really knew how to get to him. I had to convince her to tell me her secret. When things calmed down we went back to the motel so that Winry could repair Peninya's leg enough for her to walk properly. Then we were going to stay the night where Peninya lived with her mechanic and his family. Winry insisted that she meet the man who created Peninya's automail. Al was all for it. Ed gave off a 'whatever' attitude. We had missed our train this morning and there wouldn't be another train to Dublith until tomorrow so we had time to kill.

All of this swam through my head. As we made the long trek to Peninya's house I wondered about these recent events. It was as if the scenes from both the first anime and Brotherhood had been put together. Not everything from Brotherhood showed up and for the most part I thought I was in the first anime, but I couldn't deny that both were showing up. It made me nervous because I didn't know what to expect.

"How much farther is it?" Ed groaned.

"Not too much farther." Peninya assured him.

"Seriously, Ed. Stop being such a baby." Winry said to him.

And thus, the two began to argue like true siblings. Watching them go at it, I wondered how the two had ever ended up together in the Brotherhood serious. If I didn't know any better I would say they hated each others guts. But I guess it's just the way they showed they loved each other.

"Taylor?"

"Hm?" I looked up at Al.

"You haven't said anything for a while. Is everything alright?" he asked me, concerned.

I smiled reassuringly at him, "I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind is all."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Um," I glanced at Ed and them. They were far enough away so I would be able to talk freely with Al. I wouldn't have minded Ed to hear this but the girls didn't need to know about this particular subject. "I'm worried about the events of the timeline. You remember when I told you how I knew about you guys? How in my world there's a story about you?"

He nodded, "What about it?"

"Well, I didn't want to get into this before because it would be really confusing and I thought I had things figured out but I think you need to know. There wasn't only one story about you guys. There were three."

"Three?" he exclaimed.

"Shh!" I shushed him, looking at the trio in front of us. Winry and Ed were still bickering so we were good. "Yes, three. All of them are different versions of your story. A lot of the same stuff happens in all of them but there are some major differences. Originally, I thought that events were following the first story. But parts of the second version are popping up. I have no idea if the third one plays a role because I never read it." I should have read the manga when I had the chance. Too late now.

"And it's confusing you." Al said helpfully.

"Exactly! It's messing me up and making me think twice about everything. I can't be a hundred percent positive about anything anymore. And it kind of scares me."

Al teased me lightly, "Then we're all stuck in the same boat."

A laughed ruefully, "Yeah, all of us are hopelessly clueless."

At last, our little band of misfits reached the house where Peninya lived. Her mechanic gave her a brief lecture about the condition of her automail. The few words he said to her was enough to make her feel guilty. Winry went bonkers about his automail designs and begged him to make her his apprentice. Ed had been momentarily distracted about his daydream. You know, the one where he imagined himself so tall that he towered over Winry and Al. His dreams crumbled when the old mechanic gave Winry a flat out no.

I patted Winry's shoulder comfortingly, "Don't be sad. Maybe he'll come around."

"I hope so." she whined, staring at the door the man had left through.

Afterwards, we met the other residents: a young couple with a baby on the way. The woman's stomach looked ready to burst. As soon as I saw her I moaned.

"Oh no."

"Something wrong?" Ed asked.

"Not yet." I told him. He gave me a reproachful look but kept silent for the time being. It was obvious that I knew about something and he would pump me for information later. He didn't need me to tell him though. He would find out soon enough on his own when the pregnant woman had her baby. Oh, that was sure to be fun.

The sun began to set and as it did a storm rolled in. One minute the atmosphere held peacefulness. The next it held rain. Lots and lots of rain. The wind picked up and battered the water against the walls and roof of the house. The air turned chilly and the sound of thunder boomed as lightning skittered across the skies. Lovely weather, huh?

We were all chatting good naturedly with one another in the large, cozy house. I kept nervously glancing out the windows. The storm progressively grew worse. I prayed that this would be another event that changed from the show and that this woman did _not_ have her baby. That was something I did _not_ want to be around for. Especially in a storm like this. Ed and Al took note of my uneasiness. They wanted to ask me about it but knew they couldn't. Not with a room full of people who knew nothing about me being from the other side of the gate. Winry asked me if I felt ill. My nervousness was so obvious that she had seen and begun to worry. I shook off her concern and assured her that it was only the weather that made me antsy.

And then it came

"Ooh!" the soon-to-be mother clutched at her swollen belly.

"What is it, darling?" her husband asked.

She winced and said breathily, "I think it's time."

Her husband immediately understood. Winry and Peninya were next and then lastly, Ed and Al realized what was taking place.

"The baby's coming?" Winry gasped, both from delight and fear.

"Yeah." the mother said. "We need to get to the doctor."

"But it's storming outside." Al glanced out the window and into the darkness.

"I'll go get the doctor and bring him here." Peninya's mechanic said definitely. He shrugged on a coat and sped out the door. We blinked after him, wondering what to do next.

Ed shimmied up next to me while everyone else helped the laboring woman to a bed. He asked me in a low voice, "Was this what you've been worrying about for the past hour?"

I nodded with a sigh, "Yeah, but I was hoping that this part wouldn't come true."

We went with the others and found the woman in serious pain. She held back tears as her husband stayed by her side. Everyone soon realized that the old man wouldn't make it back in time and that the baby wouldn't wait for the doctor. We were going to have to deliver it ourselves…oh boy.

Winry took charge like I knew she would. I admired her for keeping her calm in this stressful situation. She barked orders to the rest of us like a pro. We obeyed her every command and rushed to fulfill our tasks. When everything was set up as good as possible, Winry had Ed and Al stay out in the hall while she had Peninya and I help her out in the bedroom. What I wouldn't give to stay out in the hall with the Al and Ed right now.

Peninya fought against her nervousness and helped in any way she could. I was drowning in my fears. I had never seen someone give birth before and never wanted to. I had always wanted kids someday but for the next couple of weeks I would vehemently deny that I ever wanted to procreate. I was so nervous that my hands wouldn't stop shaking and a sheen of sweat covered my face.

"Winry, I don't think I can do this." I told her in a scared voice. "I think I'm going to faint."

"Don't you dare!" Winry shouted at me. "I've got the hard part here but I need all the help I can get. You can pass out after this baby is born."

"Right." I nodded weakly. I resolved to stay and do all I could do. Despite this, my knees wobbled and I felt like they would give out at any second. I tried to distract myself with different thoughts. Thoughts about home. Thoughts about funny shows I used to watch. Yeah, humor was a good way to relief some of my fright. I had a random thought where I wondered if Truth were watching this right now like it was some comedy show and it was laughing it's white ass off. Stupid, little bugger. When I saw it next I would pummel it for putting me through this crap.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

It seemed like forever since Ed and Al had been ordered to remain in the hallway. They could hear just about everything that went on in the other room and they were terrified of what might be going on in there. Ed wanted to help in some way but this was not his area of expertise. He was an alchemist. Alchemy could do nothing in this situation. He had to leave things to Winry this time, her and Peninya and Taylor.

Hours may have passed, he didn't know, but eventually the door opened up and Ed looked up to find Winry. The brothers jumped up at the sight of her and hurried to her.

"We've got a problem." Winry told them.

"What is it? Is the baby alright?" Al asked frantically.

"Yeah! Is the mom okay?" Ed asked in the same tone.

Winry's eyes widened for a moment. Then she giggled lightly, "Oh, she's alright, her and the baby both. I was talking about Taylor."

"Taylor?" the boys asked at the same time.

"Yeah, she was quite the helper throughout the birth. But when it was over she dropped like a rock. I think it was too much for her."

Ed and Al exchanged curious glances and went in the room to check. Sure enough, Taylor laid on the floor unconscious with Peninya hovering over her.

"She fainted." Peninya told them, trying to hide her smile.

Ed laughed, "I'm definitely never going to let her live this one down."

"So everything went well?" Al asked, looking to the happy couple.

"Yes." the woman smiled pleasantly at him and went back to gazing at the bundle in her arms.

Ed and Al stepped closer to get a better look. It amazed them, the tiny newborn child.

"You did what alchemists couldn't do in a thousand years. You created life." Ed smiled at the woman and her baby.

"That's incredible!" Al exclaimed his agreement.

"It really is." the husband said, looking down at his wife and child.

"Are you okay, Winry?" Al asked her.

"Me?" she pointed at herself. "I'm fine! Why do you ask?"

"That must have been a lot of pressure you were under. Even Taylor fainted."

She shrugged, "Yeah, but I guess I'm just used to it from all the automail surgeries I've done in the past. Delivering a baby is different but I just used all that I've learned to get me through it. It was nice to have some helpers too."

"But Taylor fainted." Ed pointed out.

"Yeah, but she was a great help until then."

"Winry really did all the work. She did a great job." Peninya patted her on the back.

"Um, you guys? What are we going to do about Taylor?" Al pointed at the still unconscious girl.

Ed stifled another chuckle and said, "We'll put her to bed and let her rest."

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The house had grown quiet as the residents fell asleep. Ed had went to bed as well, only to be awakened by nightmares. He lurched from his bed, gasping for air.

"Brother?" the voice of Al echoed to him. He had been reading on the other side of the room and had sat his book aside at Ed's sudden movements.

"Just a dream." Ed muttered mostly to himself. Then he shook his head. It wasn't just a dream. The images he had seen had been the memories of their mother. She had been healthy and smiling at first and then she became ill and passed away. Then the night of the boys' human transmutation flashed in dizzying scenes of darkness and blood. In their desperate attempt to bring their mother back to them they had nearly lost everything. The dream had been so vivid that Ed could have sworn that creation that had made was in the same room with him. The shining eyes on that ghastly face…Ed shuddered at the memory.

Al remained patient in the silence. He didn't pry and left Ed to approach him on the subject. Ed appreciated that but didn't feel up to discussing their past. Talking about it would solve nothing. He had to shake the bad memories and move past them. Focus on the present. Easier said than done.

"I'm going to take a shower." Ed announced and slipped out of bed. He was covered in sweat from the intense nightmare and the hot water would do him some good. Maybe it would even wash away the guilt and pain.

Al said nothing as he left the room. He understood exactly how Ed felt. Both a relief and a burden.

Ed relished the warmth of the hot water beating on him as he took his shower. It diminished the cold that had settled in his body. But the water could only wash away so much. His nightmares continued to haunt him even in his waking moments. Those were something he would forever be forced to carry.

He reluctantly stepped out of the shower and dried off, making sure his automail had no droplets left on it. Then he shrugged on some clothes, putting on some regular sweat pants rather than his usual leather pair. He left his torso shirtless and walked out of the bathroom while towel drying his damp hair. Rather than go back to bed, Ed went to the living room and stared out the window. The rain, although lighter, persisted. It drenched the already soaked ground, making the landscape hopelessly muddy. It would be problematic to trudge through tomorrow when they had to leave to catch their train.

Ed sighed and sat down on the arm of a chair. He wished the weather would clear up. Days like this made his ports ache. He rubbed his leg and shoulder to get the soreness out. It worked to some extent. But if he stopped rubbing them the pain would flare right back up. Nothing could truly make the soreness truly go away until the storm passed. In the morning, if the storm passed, then he would feel better. But some pains wouldn't leave by a shift in weather. Those were the hardest to get rid of and the harshest to endure.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I blinked my eyes rapidly. What had happened?

"Oh." I moaned, laying an arm over my head as I remembered.

_Winry cleaned the baby off and handed the bundle to the tired mother. I asked her breathlessly, "Can I faint now?"_

_ "Yes."_

_ *Konk*_

I moaned again at myself. I didn't think I would actually faint. It just sort of happened. It takes a lot to make me faint. I'm not the most squeamish person but childbirth is a exhausting experience, even if you aren't the mother.

I sat up warily. My head didn't spin so that was a good sign.

"Hey."

I looked over to see Peninya lounging on a bed, one similar to the one I laid on. "Hi. What are you doing awake in the middle of the night?"

She smiled, "I can't sleep. It's been an exciting day. I can't get my mind to shut off, ya know?"

"Yeah." I returned her smile. "Today was exciting. So exciting that I passed out."

She laughed, "I'm sorry but that made my day."

"Glad I could amuse you." I scowled, which made her laugh more. I rolled my eyes, getting out of bed to stretch. I noticed Winry on a bed on the other side of Peninya, eyes closed and breathing steadily. I lowered my voice to a whisper, "Is everyone asleep?"

"I think so. Things calmed down after the baby was born. It's pretty dead right now."

"Hm. I think I'm gonna go grab a bite to eat." I half told her, half asked.

"Sure." she waved at me as I went to leave the room. "Hold on." she called out. I turned back to her and she tossed something to me. It was a miracle that I caught it.

"Ed's watch?" I asked, confused.

"Yeah. I was supposed to give it back to him but I never did."

I thought for a minute. Didn't Ed get his watch back before Peninya fell off that building? I guess not. In Brotherhood she kept it until around now…I think. _Ugh, this is confusing_!

"Why are you giving it to me and not him?" I asked, puzzled.

She grinned, "So I don't have to give it to him in person. Once he knows his watch is safe I want there to be a large distance between me and him."

"Smart." I smiled and snuck off towards the kitchen, thinking about how the Fullmetal Alchemist anime didn't show much of Peninya. She was a cool chick when you really got to talk to her.

I got distracted while walking down the hall. In the minimal light I examined Ed's pocket watch. I hadn't seen it this close yet and it fascinated me. As to be expected, I couldn't open it. Ed had sealed it using alchemy. I could probably open it up using alchemy of my own. Then again, I might accidentally blow it up. It was a moot point though. I already knew what was inside it.

I glanced up from the watch when I entered the living room. I nearly screamed as my heart just about jumped into my throat. In the first second I saw him I thought he was some ghost or something. Stupid, I know, but after everything I had seen I figured anything was possible. The seconds following that initial scare I realized it was just Ed sitting on the arm of a chair as he watched the rain pelt the window. A towel laid beside him and his damp hair covered his bare shoulders. He must have just gotten out of the shower or had run around in the rain for fun…you never know.

I must have made a sound because he turned his head in my direction. For a moment, I saw sorrow in his eyes. He quickly erased it and his face changed to a curious expression. I wasn't fooled though. Something bothered him but he did his best to hide it from me. If I didn't know him so well then I would have missed it.

"So, you're finally up?" he asked, teasing me lightly.

I sighed, "Yeah. It's amazing how I can face serial killers like Scar but when you put me up against a woman in labor it's all over."

He smiled at my joke. I noticed the smile didn't reach his eyes. "And here I thought something like that would be easy for you. You weren't even the one giving birth."

I put my hands on my hips and retorted, "Alright. The next time a woman goes into labor around us _you _can help deliver the baby and _I _can stay out in the hall. Let's see how long you last."

Ed grimaced, "Okay, you've made your point." His eyes wandered down to my hand. "What's that?"

"Oh." I held the watch out to him. "Peninya wanted me to give this back to you." His brows rose in surprise as he saw what I held. He took it from me carefully and fingered the fine grooves in the surface. He glanced out of the corner of his eye at me as he asked, "Did you…did you open it?"

"No. I didn't need to."

He nodded. He went back to looking out the window, his sight seeing something other than the rain that hit the glass. There was definitely something on his mind. What could it be?

"Ed, what's wrong?"

He kept his expression in check and answered in a reassuring tone, "My ports are just bothering me. That's all." He rubbed at his shoulder and leg to emphasize this.

Ed wasn't the kind of person to tell you if something is wrong with him. If it had simply been the automail giving him trouble like he wanted me to believe he would have never admitted it. He would have shrugged off my concern and say he was fine. Just by the fact that he gave me this excuse I could tell that he was hiding something even worse.

I wanted to smack him in the head and demand that he tell me. That might work. But a softer approach may be better. Hm…how does one approach an Edward in its natural habitat?

"I forgot that the weather can affect your automail." I commented. "I bet it sucks when it gets really cold."

He chuckled humorlessly, "I can take it."

I scanned him up and down. He still stared out the window, pressing on his shoulder. I wondered how much his automail was hurting him, and how bad other things were hurting him. "How bad does it hurt? Is there something I can do?"

He waved me away, "Nah. I'll be fine once the storm passes. Until then I'll just have to put up with it."

I huffed and marched over to him. I bent over him to get him to look me in the eyes. "Ed, I wasn't really talking about your automail right then."

His expression was completely lost on me because so many emotions passed by in the blink of an eye. Then he covered it up by laughing nervously, "What are you talking about? I'm fine."

I poked his forehead, "No you're not. Don't give me that crap. Something's up."

He closed himself off from me and stared down at the watch in his hand. Typical Ed. He would be stubborn and deal with his problems on his own. If he could help it, he wouldn't let anyone know there was something wrong in the first place. He wanted to overcome this on his own and not need anyone else's help. I guess most people were like that. People in general were afraid to confide in others. They felt it would be weak and that the person they confided in may even judge them. They thought they were being strong. This applied especially to Ed. He didn't even tell Al some things. I wish he trusted me enough to talk to me about it.

I realized what a hypocrite I was being. I hadn't told Ed and Al a lot of things because I didn't have enough trust. Not in them but in myself. I hid a lot of things from them. And here I was getting mad because Ed didn't trust me enough to tell him what was on his mind.

I gave up. I didn't want him to shut down completely on me. I would drop the subject now and hope that he would come to me when he was good and ready. Regardless, I still felt the need to help him somehow. I watched his hand press into the skin of his shoulder as his eyes remained on the watch in his automail hand.

I brushed his hand aside and messaged it for him. He stiffened and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Helping you the only way I know how." I answered. I kneaded his stiff shoulder to relieve the tension. It took a couple of minutes for him to relax. I couldn't see his face from my position so I didn't know what it showed. His body seemed eased. I switched my left hand to his left shoulder to provide more room for my right and began working on both shoulders.

"You know, it's only my right shoulder that's sore." Ed pointed out.

"Yeah, but it feels weird to massage only one shoulder. It's so unsymmetrical." Yes, I was having a Death the Kid moment. Don't judge me.

He laughed and shook his head, "Only you, Taylor…"

I smiled, taking that as a compliment. I continued to work the knots out of his shoulders. Working up the courage, I told him, "On my side of the gate there isn't just one story about you guys. There's three."

"Huh?"

"There's three different versions of your story. There's similarities between the stories to be sure, but a lot of other things happen in each one. When I first came here I originally thought that things here were limited to one of your stories. But I was wrong. Parts of the other stories are blending into this one and it's been confusing me. I don't know what to expect anymore and that worries me."

He was quiet for many moments, thinking over my words. Then he asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you deserve to know. It's been stressing me out lately and I wanted you to know that. It's what friends do, complain to their friends about what's wrong in their life in the hopes that they will order their ninja army to take care of their problems."

Ed snorted, "That's what friends do?"

"Yep. It's what my friends would do anyway. Me too. If you tell me your problems Ed the Ginja Ninja will personally order her legion of ninja minions to take care of it."

"Ginja Ninja?"

"That's me. Ginja stands for Ginger, as in a person like me who has reddish hair and freckles."

"Ginger, huh?" Ed considered the word. By the sound of his voice I bet that he was smiling.

I nodded, "Yes. The Gingers. The few, the brave."

Ed fingered his watch, letting me work on his shoulders in silence for a while. I could tell that his brain processed what I was trying to do. By telling him what worried me I hoped that he would in turn tell me what worried him. Classic equivalent exchange.

Unable to ignore the law, Ed told me, "I have nightmares about the night…"

"About the night you and Al transmuted your mother?" I supplied.

He flinched but nodded, "Yeah. They're always so vivid. Like it's happening all over again. I can never tell it's just a dream until I wake up. Some days, I can keep those thoughts out of my head completely. But there's nothing stopping them when I go to sleep. That's one thing Al doesn't have to worry about."

I became so engrossed to what he was saying that I nearly forgot to keep rubbing his shoulders. I got back to work and asked him, "Do you have them every night?"

"Usually, but not always."

"Towards to beginning of your story, it showed when you and Al were kids and living with your mom. It covered her death and to the part where you two attempted human transmutation. Knowing now that that really happened I'm amazed that anyone could survive through that. Only people like you and Al could have the will power to keep going after something like that. If it were me I don't think I would have been able to. It always inspired me whenever things went wrong for you, you would find a way to make it through. You never gave in and fought for what you believed in. You and Al really are two of the most amazing people I have ever met. Your mother would be proud."

Ed hesitated before asking, "You think so?" He sounded so unsure.

I smiled gently, folding my arms over his chest and laying my chin on the top if his head. I knew Ed wasn't a very touchy feely kind of person but I was. And even Ed needed a hug every now and then. "Yes. You guys were her whole world and everything you did made her smile. You've grown up to be exceptional alchemists who help everyone in need, even weird misfits from other worlds."

He chuckled at that, "That describes you perfectly."

"Well it takes one to know one."

"I guess you're right. But I make misfits look good."

I giggled and stood up straight, "Yes Ed, you are one drop dead sexy misfit."

He perked up at that. Being his usual cocky self he said, "And the ladies just can't get enough of me."

I snorted, loud and unattractively. I laughed so hard that I had to sit down in the chair. Ed's laughter followed my own and both of us were almost crying. It was just too much. And every time we'd begin to stop one of us would start laughing again, getting the other to start up too. By the time we stopped my stomach hurt from all the laughing. It was worth it though.

We sat in a peaceful silence. The rain had stopped at some point and now the moon shined into the room. I wondered what my family and friends at home were doing right now. It seemed like such a long time ago since I had seen them. How long had I been in Amestris anyway?

"Hey Ed?"

"Yes, Ginja Ninja?"

I giggled and asked, "What's today?"

He looked up in thought for a moment, then answered, "February thirteenth."

Whoa. I had been here that long? I had been in Ireland on Christmas break. That meant I had been here nearly two months. "Hey! Tomorrows Valentine's Day!"

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"You don't know what Valentine's Day is?" I asked incredulously.

He shook his head, "Should I?"

I was about to say yes when I remembered that Valentine's Day wouldn't be celebrated here in Amestris. Duh. "I guess not. Valentine's Day is a holiday on my side of the gate."

"What's it for?"

I blushed slightly as I explained, "It's a day for when lovers show their love and appreciation by giving them presents like flowers, candy, cards, or other gifts."

Ed's face changed color as he looked away from me and said nervously, "I guess we don't have to worry about celebrating it then."

"But friends celebrate it too." I pouted.

"Oh."

"But here I thought we were more than friends." Ed stared at me with wide eyes. I went on to say, "I thought we were brothers."

A look crossed his face, one that said he clearly thought I was crazy, "Taylor, we couldn't be brothers."

I stood up, "Fine then. I see the way it is. I'll just go ask Al then. I know he'll be my brother." I ran off to find Al.

I found him in a room I presumed Ed and him were sharing for the night. He looked up from a book he had been reading, "Taylor?"

I ran over to him and threw my arms around him and cried, "Al! It's horrible!"

Al patted my back gently and demanded, "What did Brother do?"

I nearly smiled but told him, "He doesn't want to be my brother. Will you be my brother Al?"

"Of course!" he said immediately.

"Yay!" I cheered, instantly happy. "Now let's go beat up Ed."

He chuckled, "Okay."

"Can I ride on your back?" I asked.

"Sure."

I climbed aboard and we set off to the living room. Ed was still there and he looked up at our entrance.

"Wha-?" he exclaimed at the odd sight.

"Get 'em, Al!" I shouted. Al charged Ed. Ed ran for his life.

* * *

><p>(-Peninya-)<p>

She went into the living room to check on the noise she heard. She found Taylor perched on Al's back while the both of them chased Ed around the coffee table in circles. Peninya shook her head and went back to her room.

* * *

><p><strong>This is what Taylor said in Spanish: "You're just stupid." "This means that you need to learn Spanish." "Don't be ugly." And yes, this time I used google translate. I didn't last time so there were a couple of mistranslations. yeah...<strong>

**Next chapter: Valentine's Day! Cause I'm still in the spirit of the holiday.**


	32. Chapter 32

**I...am...so...TIRED! It has been the longest week. Lots and lots of school work that barely left me enough time to finish this chapter or anything else. I'm not even sure I'll be able to update _Forsaken_ or _Frog_ _War_ like I intended too. But I'm trying! Anyway, I had lots of fun writing this chapter and I had intended to put more stuff in it but it would have made it way too long so I'm saving it for the next chapter. I feel like these last few chapters have been dragged out and filler-ish. I just have so much planned. But you guys seem to like it so it can't be too bad. And thank you to everyone who had reviewed. I read your reviews whenever I'm feeling down and they instantly make me happy and want to write more.**

**Random thing that happened this week: Me and Taylor broke a chair. I was sitting on a chair in band the other day. Then Taylor sat on me. Then the chair sat all the way to the floor... The chair is now permanently out of commission.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 32<strong>

**Valentine's Day**

(-Taylor-)

The next day was…muddy. All the rain from last night had washed the dirt roads into slippery, dirty deathtraps. I couldn't wait to walk back to Rush Valley and fall flat on my butt every ten steps of the way. And yes, that was sarcasm.

Everyone got up early when Peninya's mechanic returned with the doctor. Better late than never, right? Anyway, the doctor said that Winry did a fabulous job with the delivery of the baby and that the child was healthy as can be. Ed and I used this as leverage to convince the old man to take Winry as his apprentice. He finally consented and Ed and I high-fived. But now this meant that Winry would be staying here in Rush Valley. I really wished she could have come with us. It would be great to have another girl to talk to. But I suppose it's better this way. Who knows what awaited us in Dublith. It could be dangerous and I'd hate to see her get hurt.

As we were saying our goodbyes, Winry warned, "Ed, you better not go off and break your automail again."

"I'm not!" Ed shouted back. "It's not like I get it broken on purpose."

"Mh-hmm." she said disbelievingly.

"I'll make sure he stays out of trouble." Al promised her.

"And I'll just smack him for you if he does something stupid." I promised Winry as well.

Ed roared, "You guys stop ganging up on me! I can take care of myself!" Everyone rolled their eyes at him.

Winry gave me a hug and told me, "Watch over them for me."

I returned her hug, "I will."

We waved at everyone else and headed out the door. I took two steps and would have fell on my face if Al hadn't of caught me.

"Careful." he righted me.

"This Valentine's Day isn't off to a very good start." I muttered.

"Valentine's Day?" Al asked.

"It's a holiday on Taylor's side of the gate." Ed answered for me.

"What does it celebrate?"

Ed blanched and said, "Taylor, why don't you explain it."

So I did. I told Al all about the fantastical and expensive holiday known as Valentine's Day. Al held onto my every word with a sense of wonder. When I was done, he cheered, "We should celebrate it!"

"What?" Ed exclaimed, shocked. "Al, did you not hear what she said? It's a holiday celebrated by _lovers_. Unless you have a secret lover I don't know about then we can't really celebrate it."

"But she said friends celebrate it all the time too!" Al argued. "And it sounds fun!"

"It sounds stupid!"

"Ah, don't worry about him Al." I told the suit of armor. "He's just grumpy because he doesn't have a girlfriend on Valentine's Day."

Ed's face turned six shades of red, "I am not!"

"Suuuuure." I said and turned back to Al. "We can just celebrate it ourselves. We don't need Ed." I stuck my tongue out at Ed for good measure.

"Celebrate the dumb holiday! I don't care!" Ed shouted and marched ahead of us angrily.

Al and I giggled at him. I shouted after him, "Did I forget to mention there's lots of candy involved?"

Ed halted his steps and turned back to look at me, "Candy?"

"Yep." I nodded, pleased by his interest. "But you said you didn't want to celebrate the 'dumb holiday' so I guess I won't be getting you any candy."

He scowled at me, "Whatever." He resumed his angry march.

"Huh, I thought for sure that would get him." I mumbled in disappointment.

Al laughed, "He's just being stubborn. He'll come around."

"Yeah." I perked up. "And even if he doesn't we'll still have a good Valentine's Day. I refuse to let anything drag me down today."

"That's the spirit!"

It took us a long while to get back to town. Ed sulked the whole way while Al and I chatted happily. When we got to the station Ed looked relieved. Until we saw that our train wasn't leaving for a couple more hours, that is.

"Figures." Ed groaned.

"Just look on the bright side." I told him.

He glared at me, "What bright side?"

"This gives us plenty of time to celebrate properly."

"Yeah!" Al seconded that.

Ed rolled his eyes at us. Poor Ed. And I wasn't about to make it any more easier for him.

I held out my hand to him, "Ed, give me money."

" What? Why?" he barked.

"So I can go shopping!"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I'm not going to give you money just so you can go blow it."

"You'd really think I'd go blow it all? That really hurts, Ed. I was only going to buy things for Valentine's Day."

"That's blowing it!"

"No it's not! Stop being so stingy and get in the holiday spirit!"

"I don't wanna!"

I looked to Al beseechingly, "Al, you agree with me that Ed's being unreasonable, right?"

"Don't you go running to Al just because you don't get whatever you want!" Ed yelled.

"Brother, she does have a point. Live a little." Al said in a calming manner. Ed frowned at us both and crossed his arms moodily.

Time to call in the heavy artillery. I stepped up to Ed. My eyes became big saucers filled with unshed tears. My lips pouted pathetically and I whined softly, "Please?"

Ed took one look at me and covered his face with his hand, "Oh gate, don't give me that look. Anything but the puppy dog look."

"Please?" I begged again, tugging gently at the sleeve of his coat. "Pretty please? Please Ed? For me?"

He peaked at me from behind his fingers. His golden eyes grew softer as he sighed, "Fine. Just stop bugging me."

"Yay!" I jumped up and down for joy.

"Here." he threw some cash at me. I still wasn't certain on how the money system worked around here but it looked like I had enough cens to get enough stuff. "That's all you're getting out of me." he told me sternly.

"Thank you!" I said gleefully and ran off. I threw back over my shoulder, "I'll meet you guys back here before the train leaves."

"Be careful!" Al called after me.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"There she goes." Ed mused.

"So what are you going to get for her." Al asked him.

"What?" Ed said, surprised. "I told you I wasn't celebrating!"

"But you'll feel bad when she gets you something and you've given her nothing."

"You heard her earlier. She isn't getting me anything." Ed retorted sharply.

"It's Taylor we're talking about." Al reminded him. "Of course she'll get you something. And she'd really appreciate it if you got her something in return."

"I don't see why she would." Ed glowered.

"Because she likes you."

Ed's face blushed, "As a friend, yeah."

"Just like you like her as a _friend_?" Al put major emphasis on the word 'friend'. "Because I'm pretty sure you like her more than that."

Ed's face turned as red as it could, "No I don't!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Al challenged.

"Because I'm angry!" Ed shouted.

"Or in love." Al teased.

"Arg!" Ed snarled and chased after his brother. Al ran away, laughing.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"That should do it." I smiled to myself. I had drawn the picture perfectly in my sketchbook. Now that I had an image to go off of, I could transmute it to life. Using some materials I had found or bought, I centered myself and began the transmutation. The end result was an exact replica of my drawing.

"Getting better and better everyday," I grinned from ear to ear as I picked the little figurine up. It had to be the cutest miniature statue of a cat I had ever seen. The body of it was a yellowish-orange marble surface with brown streaks spread out. The eyes were big and made of green glass. The cat appeared to be sitting down with its tail wrapped around itself and its paw lifted up in the air. Very cute indeed. I bet Al would flip when I gave it to him.

Now that I had accomplished getting the hard gift, it was time to move onto Ed's. His was extremely simple: candy, and lots of it. I went to many shops picking up many different types of candy. When I had completed my shopping I had a large bag of candy for Ed. And yes, I did snag a few pieces for myself. What can I say? I can't resist chocolate.

I raced back to the train station, excited to give the boys their gifts. I got there with ten minutes to spare. I couldn't believe how much time had passed. Ed and Al were already there, waiting for me.

"Hey!" I greeted them with the goody bag hidden behind my back.

Ed's eyes flashed to the bag suspiciously, "What's that?"

"You'll see in a minute." I flashed a grin. "But first I want to give Al his present."

"What did you get me?" Al asked eagerly.

I reached into the bag and pulled out the kitty figurine, "Ta-da!"

"Aww! It's so cute!" Al cooed and took it from me.

"Since you can't have a real cat I thought I'd get you this instead."

"Thank you. That's very thoughtful of you. And I also got you a present." He reached beside the bench they had been sitting on and produced a bag.

I took the bag from him and opened it up. I pulled out the contents and let out a squeal, "Brownies!"

"I looked everywhere for them. I knew you'd like them."

"Yay! You're the best brother ever, Al!"

He laughed and patted my head.

I turned to Ed, "And I got something for you too, that is, if you've decided to join in the festivities."

A scattering of pink lit his cheeks as he grumbled, "Yeah, yeah. Just cough it up."

"Here ya go!" I handed him the stuffed bag.

He looked inside and his jaw dropped, "This is all for me?"

"Yep. You can gorge yourself on all of that sweet chocolate until your heart's content, though I wouldn't recommend eating it all in one sitting."

Ed was practically drooling, "Candy…"  
>Al elbowed him to get his attention, "Brother, aren't you forgetting something."<p>

Ed tore his gaze away from the candy, "Oh, uh, yeah." He stared at me with a serious look on his face. What could he be up to now?

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

He reached into the pocket of his coat and retrieved the item. He held it out to Taylor and averted his eyes as he said, "This is for you."

She took it from him carefully. Taylor didn't say anything so Ed glanced back at her to see her reaction. The expression she wore was one of complete wonderment. She held it by the long fine chain. The necklace was that of the flammel symbol like the one on the back of Ed's coat. The metal was smooth and glinted in the sun. Over it's gray surface stains of red and black ran across it.

Taylor finally spoke, "Where did you find this?"

"I didn't. I whipped it up with a little alchemy. No big deal."

Taylor's eyes shone as if it were a very big deal. And Ed was unprepared for when she launched herself at him, hugging him fiercely as words spilled out of her mouth, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou!"

Ed nearly fell over in shock. Did he hear her right? Did she really just say…Did she really…? He was so flabbergasted that he couldn't respond or even return the hug.

Taylor let go of him then and with a big smile she put the necklace on. "You guys are so awesome! This is the best Valentine's Day ever!" Then, clutching her bag of brownies, she skipped blissfully to the train.

"Brother?" Al asked worriedly for Ed still stood in complete shock.

Ed managed to find his voice and said, "Al?"

"Yes Brother?"

A big goofy grin spread across his face, "She loves me!"

"Oh, and it's so not obvious that you love her back." Al replied sarcastically.

Ed couldn't even work up the anger to yell at him or say anything at all. He simply walked towards the train in a daze.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Prepare to meet your maker." I said ominously as I stared a brownie down. I bit down on it as I said, "Ar!"

"You seem to be enjoying your present." Al noted from his train seat.

"A little too much." Ed commented from beside me. He sat by the window, brow twitching at my odd behavior.

I swallowed down my bite and smiled, "Brownies are my greatest weakness. A weakness you may feel free to use to your advantage."

Ed snickered and ate another piece of his candy. The little twerp hadn't even said thank you for that bag of candy. Then again, it was his money that had paid for it. And his gift to me had certainly made up for it. The necklace was amazing! A work of art really. I've always adored the flammel symbol. Wearing it made me feel like a true member of the group.

I smiled to myself as I fingered the smooth metal of the cross yet again. It should have been cold but it was rather warm where it hung on my upper chest. It was a reassuring warmth, like a lucky charm. I began to hum merrily and took another bite of brownie.

Ed kept glancing over towards me. I was wondering what was on his mind when his hand reached over to snag a brownie out of the box.

"Uh-uh!" I said around the brownie stuffed in my mouth as I held the box out of his reach.

"Oh, come on! Who's the one being stingy now?" he complained.

I gave him a death glare and continued to eat my brownie.

He put his hands up imploringly, "How about an equivalent exchange? Some of my candy for a brownie?"

"Equivalent exchange can kiss my white ass. You ain't getting my brownies." I said in a severe tone.

Ed blinked at me in shock, "You're that serious? Over brownies?"

"Know this Edward, there is nothing I take more seriously than brownies. And I haven't had any in two months. So I am going to savor every bit of this chocolaty goodness."

"You're acting as if that box of brownies is like a box of pure gold."

I scoffed, "This is way better than gold."

"But wouldn't gold be better than brownies?" Al asked.

"Nope. You can't eat gold."

"But you would be able to buy more brownies with it." Ed informed me.

I shook my head and dismissed them, "Whatever. Why are we even arguing about brownies?"

"Because you won't give me any!" Ed shouted.

"Oh yeah." I grinned and chomped on my second brownie.

For a moment, I had become so distracted by the wonderful taste of the brownie that I didn't see Ed's hand. Quick as a wink, he dove in and snatched a brownie. Before I could grab it back he shoved it in his mouth.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You take away my brownie, you take away my honor. Mark my words Edward Elric, you will pay. I know where you sleep at night." With that cryptic threat, I switched over to Al's seat so that I could better defend my treasure. It was a tight fit but I managed.

Ed laughed at me, not taking my threat seriously. I was already planning my revenge.

After my third brownie I became satisfied and stashed the rest in my bag so that Ed couldn't get to them. I took out my sketchbook and began to doodle. The boys talked to each other, first about the baby Winry had delivered in Rush Valley and then that developed into childhood memories they shared. I listened to them, not participating in the conversation. I learned many things about them that had never been mentioned in the anime. Like the time they had stole a neighbor's tractor (by accident of course), and the time Den had stole a whole turkey from the dining table as they were just about to eat it, and the times they would go on adventures with Winry and the other kids of Resembool.

Hearing about Winry, I mentioned, "It's kinda weird, her not being here."

Ed shrugged, "She doesn't usually travel with us anyway."

"But it was nice." Al chirped in. "We got to hang out and she was here whenever you needed your automail fixed."

"That's not what I really meant." I said. "I meant it was weird because she was supposed to go to Dublith with you guys. Well, in one of your stories anyway."

They pondered this and Al asked, "Is that bad then? That she didn't come with us?"

"No, I don't think so. She stayed behind in another version of the story, the one that seems to be popping up more and more lately."

"How much have the stories merged?" Ed asked with rapt attention.

I tapped my pencil against my sketchbook as I debated, "Well, for the most part the events had been following the first story up until the laboratory five incident. That's where it started to diverge from the first over to the second story. And then you guys leave for Rush Valley in both stories, along with Winry. And Hughes's death was in both as well." I rushed over that part. They fidgeted, uncomfortable with that subject. "Anyway, it really switched over to the second one after we met Peninya yesterday. In the first story Izumi finds you in Rush Valley and takes you to Dublith but in the second one you guys go to her."

"Teacher found us?" Al asked, mildly surprised.

"What did she do when she found us?" Ed asked.

I stifled a giggle and answered, "She kicked your face."

He swallowed deeply, "But that's not gonna happen, right? I mean, that only happened in Rush Valley, right?"

I shifted my eyes upwards and whistled as if I didn't know the answer.

"Taylor! What is she going to do to us when we get there? Is she gonna…kill us?"

"Yes Edward. When we get to Dublith Izumi will cut you up like any other slab of meat at her shop."

Ed's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He jumped up and ran for it, "I'm going back to Rush Valley!"

Al grabbed a hold of Ed's coat and kept him from getting away, "Brother, settle down. Taylor was being sarcastic."

Ed stopped and looked at me, "Is that true."

I smirked, "You make it too easy."

He scowled at me grumpily and sat back down on his seat, "Your cruelty knows no bounds."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

He said nothing more, refusing to look my way and stared out the window at the passing landscape. The area we were in didn't have much vegetation and had rocks and dirt instead. However, the farther we traveled the greener it got. I couldn't wait to see Dublith. I wondered what it looked like in person there. And how long would it take? Would we get there by tonight? It was already pretty late in the afternoon. We might get there tomorrow.

"How long had it been since you guys have been in Dublith?" I asked them.

Al answered me, "We haven't been there since we trained with Teacher. That must have been five years ago."

"Huh." I pondered this. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that it matched the timeline. But every event so far hadn't been exact. Maybe there were different events that occurred before I had come to Amestris.

"Hey, can I ask you guys a couple of things?" I asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Al said.

"I was wondering about your past. About some stuff that happened before I came here."

"Isn't that a moot point? I thought you knew everything about us." Ed said, annoyed.

"Well, Mr. Grumpy Pants, I don't know every little detail of your lives. And even if the stories from my world had went over your whole lives the details might not match with what actually happened. I'm just curious as to what's fact and what's not."

His gaze flickered to me for a moment. Then he went back to staring out the window. But he said, "Alright then."

"Okay, so I think everything's the same from when you guys were younger. You took the State Alchemist exams when you were twelve, right Ed?" He nodded. I went on, "And when you took the exam, what exactly did you do to show off your skills?"

"I performed alchemy without a circle and stopped a pillar from crashing down on one of the alchemists. I transmuted the pieces into flower petals."

I nodded. So that meant it was from the first anime. Interesting. "And you guys were staying at Tucker's house, right?"

Ed's jaw clenched as he sat in silence. Al answered for him, "Yes."

I could see that this was a touchy subject, for the both of them, but I pressed forward, "And have either of you seen Tucker since?"

Ed's head snapped in my direction, "What are you talking about? Tucker was put in front of a firing squad for what he did. Of course we haven't seen him."

I crossed my legs and sat in thought. If Ed hadn't seen Tucker since then it probably meant that what happened at lab five coincided with the Brotherhood series. I knew Tucker showed up in that series as well but Scar killed him shortly after he made Nina into a chimera. But in the first series Tucker was spared and put to work until he eventually turned himself into a chimera. Did that still happen? Or did his sentence get carried out this time and he had died? If not, would we be seeing him again later?

"Why did you ask if we had seen him?" Al asked me.

I might as well tell them. It couldn't hurt. Sighing, I said, "Because something different has apparently happened to him. In the second story, Tucker died not by a firing squad but by Scar."

"Scar?" Al gasped.

I nodded, "Yes. And in the first story something much different happened. Tucker was never killed. Instead, he was spared and put to work in the labs and eventually turned himself into a chimera."

Ed's eyes widened, "Are you serious?"

"Yes. In that version you met him at laboratory five. That obviously didn't happen though. I wonder what really happened. And if this is different then what else has changed…"

My words soaked into them. Ed was the first to speak up after a while, "You said there were three versions of our story. What happened to Tucker in the third one?"

I shrugged, "I don't know. I never read that one."

In spite of it all, Ed snorted. Then he was full out started laughing. I couldn't help myself and began laughing too and then Al joined in as well. All three of us were going at it and the mood that had turned dark brightened once again.

""Okay. Moving on." I said after we had settled down some. "I have a couple more questions. What happened when you guys went to Lior?"

Ed looked at me in confusion, "Lior?"

"I don't think we've ever been there before." Al commented.

"Huh," I chewed on my lip. "If you've never been there I guess it doesn't play any role. How about Xenotime? Did you guys go there?"

"Yeah. We met the Tringham brothers there." Al nodded.

"And they stole our names." Ed muttered.

"And there was the red water and everything too, right?" I asked them.

They nodded in unison. I searched my memory for the episodes that centered around Xenotime. I realized something and asked, "You remember hearing about that doctor who cured those sick babies?"

"Yeah. We tried to look for him but we couldn't find anything on him." Al said.

"Kinda hard to find someone when you don't even know his name." Ed commented.

"So you had heard the story but they never told you the doctor's name?" I asked, trying to follow all of this.

"They didn't know his name so we could never find anything substantial on him. Do you know who he was?"

"Yeah, it was Doctor Marcoh."

They stared at me in shock. After a few moments, Al chuckled, "Small world, huh?"

Ed nodded in agreement.

"So, did you see the Homunculi in Xenotime?" I asked. I didn't expect them to say yes but they did.

"They showed up to cause some trouble. We fought but they managed to slip away." Ed told me.

That would explain them knowing about the Homunculi before lab five. They must have ran in a few times. Did this mean anything? And who were the Homunculi following? Dante? Or Father?

"What are you thinking about?" Al interrupted my thoughts.

"Oh, I was just wondering about the Homunculi."

"Can you tell us anything about them? Like what they want for instance?"

"They want to get their hands on a Philosopher's Stone. But since they can't use alchemy they have to get alchemists to make one for them."

"If they can't use alchemy then why would they want the stone?" Ed asked logically. "It would be useless to them."

"Unless they got someone else to use it for them." I explained.

His brows raised in understanding, "Like someone working for them?"

I shrugged, not wanting to give away too much, "You've seen them. I don't think anyone would work for them willingly. Whoever they forced to use the stone for their benefits would be forced."

"Why do they want the stone? To become even more powerful?"

"I'm not sure." I admitted. "They could want it so that they can become human. Then again, they may want it for something else."

"They want to become human?" Al asked, surprised.

Ed sneered, "I find that hard to believe."

"Regardless, that's what it is…or what it may not be…Freaking different animes and freaking Truth for putting them together in a freaking incomprehensible mush. It's like I'm in some stupid fan fiction story except all of those made more sense."

"What's fan fiction?" Al wondered.

"It's stories fans write where they take their favorite books and such and use their own plots and add original characters to the mix. My friend LeFay got really into it. She wrote this one story where you guys get lost in a swamp…she's weird like that."

"Is this a normal thing or do a lot of people do it?" Ed questioned.

"It's not just people but fans; fans of _your_ story. Sure the Harry Potter books have the most but Fullmetal Alchemist is on the top twenty list for sure. Thousands upon thousands of fans love FMA."

"Thousands?" Al repeated in shock.

"Well, probably more like millions."

"There's that many?" Ed asked, flabbergasted.

I smiled, enjoying their reactions, "Yep. Lots of girls, and boys for that matter, would kill to be where I am right now."

"Wow." Al said. "I didn't think that many people would be that interested."

"Don't be so surprised. Anyone who reads it can't help but love all the quirky characters. Especially these two guys I know." I said playfully.

"Did you hear that Brother? We have fans!" Al said, excited.

Ed nodded slowly, not completely willing to believe it, "So…there's _millions_ of people…who are fans of us?"

"Oh yeah. You've even got your own special fan club, Ed. They're called the Resembool Rangers."

"I have my own fan club?" a wide grin spread across his face.

"Do I have one too?" Al asked.

"More than likely. I don't know what it's called though. Probably something like the Kitty Brigade or something."

Ed snorted, "Fitting."

Al laughed softly, "I like it."

"So Taylor," Ed began, smiling mischievously, "Which fan club are you in?"

"Definitely the Kitty Brigade."

"Really?" Al asked pleased.

"What?" Ed yelled in outrage. "Why the Kitty Brigade and not the Resembool Rangers?"

I smiled, "Easy. There's cute kittens. I can't resist cute things."

Ed face palmed and muttered, "Unbelievable."

"Aw, Ed's jealous." Al teased.

"I am not!" he fumed, steam practically coming out of his ears.

"Relax Ed. I was mostly kidding anyway." I tried to placate him. "I'd be in both of your fan clubs, but since I don't think you can do that I'm just gonna stay neutral and take no part in any of them."

"Are there more than just ours?" Al asked in curiosity.

"Yeah, but I only know the name of one other. It's Mustang's fan club: the Miniskirt Army."

Ed's reaction was instantaneous, "That bastard has his own fan club? Why would anyone be part of it?"

"Oh, that's not even the worst of it. There's lots more."

He covered his face with his hand and moaned, "If it gets worse than that I don't think I even want to know."

"Alright. I won't tell you all the weird pairings they write in fan fiction and the people they couple you with." I said, tempting him.

He took the bait, "Pairings? As in couples? …Who?"

"The usual. Winry," then I coughed as I said, "Mustang."

"WHAT?" Ed shouted. "That's just…UGH! Those people are lunatics to even think…Oh gate, that's so wrong!"

"And Envy." I added.

Ed turned a little green, "I think I'm going to be sick." He ran off to the bathroom, looking like he was about to hurl. Was it bad that I laughed at this? I couldn't help it. The look on his face was priceless! Though, if he got ill when he heard about him and Envy I probably shouldn't mention the Elricrest stuff. Even before I came to Amestris that stuff made me shudder. Now that I've met Ed and Al and have become great friends with them, I find it…Well, let's just say words cannot express my horror.

**(A/N: Know this my furry friends, as I'm writing this right now my ears are bleeding because my tone deaf sister is doing what she calls 'singing'. If you read something that doesn't make sense in the rest of this chapter it's because my frain has been bried. Wait, what? I meant to say my fried is brain. Arg! That's not it either! Ugh, whatever. I think you guys get the point of this pointless interruption. Moving on!)**

I went back to my drawing. I brushed the pencil over the picture to create shadows. The girl on the paper came to life with every stroke of lead. Her arms rested out of the window of the stone building. She wore a content expression as she faced the incoming breeze.

"That looks great." Al said from beside me, looking over at my drawing.

"Thanks." I smiled softly as I continued to shade the paper. "I wish I had something to color it with though. It'd look better."

"We'll have to get you some. I'd love to see what you could do with them."

I grinned hugely at him, "Really? Aw, you're so sweet! I love you!"

He rubbed the back of his head and 'blushed', "Heh, thanks."

The sound of someone clearing their throat had us turning to look.

"Am I interrupting something?" Ed asked. For some reason he frowned at us, as if aggravated.

"No." I answered. Pursing my lips, I wondered what he was miffed about. Well, I guess what I had told him had scarred him for life and had made him sick and made him believe all fan fiction stories were evil and all FMA fans were crazy. That could have something to do with it. "Are you feeling any better?"

He gave me a blank look and said, "Sure." Then he sat in his seat and stared out the window, refusing to look at either of us.

I glanced over at Al for an answer. He only shrugged. I sighed. He didn't know what had caused Ed's mood swing either. Maybe it was PMS.

I nearly snorted and had to hide my amusement with a cough. Going back to my drawing, I thought, _This is going to be a long train ride_.

* * *

><p><strong>Lots of fluff in this chapter. But in the next things start to ramp up a bit. Sorry if there are typos in this. I was too lazy to read back over it.<strong>

**So, I just got The Sims 3 and Tekken 6 for the PS3 and they are epic! I want to play them so badly but I seriously need to catch up on my writing. Maybe if I got a lot of reviews I'd be more inclined to write. *hint hint* I just need some more fuel to keep going cause I'm running on empty. And I'll have to put off making Ed on The Sims 3, cause ya know I just gotta! And then I'm going to make Taylor and the two of them live in a modest house in the country along with Al and they live next door to some whackjob authoress who keeps writing weird stories about the three of them (me). And then down the street from her you got Roku in the Corn Palace, and then AnimeVamp who has a horde of cursed bunnies in her basement (cause they're collectible), and then Morpheus who loves dogs, and then rachLA who lives with the dancing girls in floofy dresses, and then Elementess in her tower of power, and then that coyote who always hangs around the suburbs, and then Sense Marauder next to the FMA asylum, and then Scorpio who loves to drink sprite, and then Annabeth in her 4th dimension wonderland, and if you're still reading this author's note then you must be desperately bored, and then they're all down the street from The Name Is Greed who is getting sued for identity theft by a certain homunculus we all know, and then IAmTheRedOne who is never blue but always red, and then on the other side of town there's this kitten who's always curious and is stalking Ed, and then there's Al who's stalking the kitten, and then there's me who's stalking everybody cause stalking people is a fun pass time unless you get caught, and oh my gate I am going to shut up now.**


	33. Chapter 33

**S'up, peoples? I'm out for Spring Break and I couldn't be happier. I would have gotten this chapter out a little sooner but I was distracted by the usual things: other people's fanfics, modern warfare, beer pong, and you tube. Speaking of you tube, I found this amazing FMA video on there. It's titled, "We're empty" and the one who posted it is Viinurify. It was so good I actually wanted to cry and I keep watching it over and over because it's so great. It really shows why I love FMA so much.**

**Random thing that happened this week: Me, Taylor, and a couple of other people completely convinced our band class that a zombie outbreak had occurred in China due to infected organs that were shipped there from North Korea on the black market. Yeah, and we never told them that we were kidding... we're so evil.**

**I want to take the time to respond to a couple of reviews that I feel you should all hear...and plus the people didn't sign in when they reviewed so I can't just click the button to reply to most of them.**

**Fullmetalkitty: Thank you for the idea. It's really ingenious and I have named this chapter because of it. And thanks for reviewing!**

**Jay: I know that Lior played a pivotal role in the first series but never fear! I know what I'm doing!... I think. Heh, let's just say that since I combined bits of Brotherhood and made way for Taylor's character I had to do some changing up in the plot and Lior didn't factor into it. But I think everyone will still enjoy the epic ending I have planned out... Now, if only I can get around to writing it.**

**xXRedPokerGirlxX: Sierra? Ah! You fooled me! Here I was wondering who this new person was when it was you in disguise all along! Well played my friend. **

**Sense Marauder: ...if I went to your school I'd be scared to sit down.**

**Ravenclaw Alchemist: I've actually been thinking about Taylor telling them about modern technology from her world. I didn't want to at first because I thought it would be confusing but I think Taylor's going to slip and say anime and they're like, "What's anime?" But she will definitely explain to them what the Internet is but that's way later on.**

**Elementess: HA! I'm going to have to come visit you sometime so that we can spy on Ed together, while eating popcorn and using advanced binoculars. And oh, what's that you say? His bathroom window curtain is open? *gets out camera***

**Anywho, I don't have time to respond to anymore because my sister and friends keep telling me to come out of my cave and live life and party with them. But I do read every one of your reviews my friends, even if I don't respond, and every one of them makes me happy.**

**...Longest author's not, ever!...**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 33<strong>

**Fate**

(-Taylor-)

The train stopped as night set in fully. The ride had been uncomfortably quiet the whole way and I welcomed the distraction.

"Where are we?" I asked my companions.

"Lunar Village." Al answered pleasantly.

As we got up to disembark, I questioned, "Why is it named that? Does it have something to do with the moon or something?"

"Yeah. This village is famous for its abundance of moon lilies. They're a rather pretty sight."

I frowned, "Too bad it's still winter." Al cocked his head to the side and I explained, "I won't get to see them."

"The flowers bloom year round." Ed commented curtly, exiting the train.

"Oh," I murmured, following after. I stepped onto the platform and stopped to take in the beautiful sight. "Wow!"

The village itself didn't have much to it. Buildings strewn about and shoppers or travelers making their way through the main streets, though this place didn't have near the bustling size of the crowds of Rush Valley. What really amazed me were the flowers. They were everywhere! Protruding from the ground were _hundreds_ of white lilies mixed in with all the greenery. Most of the trees around this area were fully leafed with bright red leaves, contrasting spectacularly with the flowers. It took my breath away.

"What are you staring at?" Ed asked, peeved. "It's just plants."

"But they're so pretty!" I grinned like a doofus. Al laughed at me while Ed rolled his eyes.

"Let's go." Ed said, walking off.

"But wait. I thought we were going to Dublith."

"We are." Al assured me. "It's just that the next train leaves in about a half hour but its late enough so we might as well stay at a hotel for the night."

I narrowed my eyes at them, "Or you guys are putting off seeing your teacher for as long as possible."

Dark clouds hung over their dejected forms, proving my accusation.

"She's gonna kill us." Ed moaned.

"I just want to live a little longer." Al said in the same tone.

I didn't tease them further. If I had been in their shoes I would be scared to death too. Izumi did come off as a bit…frightening.

"Alright." I simply said as we traveled along.

About a minute later Al snuck off. I watched him leave as Ed kept walking on, oblivious. I almost face palmed as Al went to pet the kitten sitting next to a shop. I wondered if I should tell Ed…Nah. I'd let Al have his fun. I went back to walking as if I hadn't seen a thing.

It took Ed only ten seconds to notice the sound of Al's clunky armored steps were missing. He turned around. Only seeing me, he asked, "Where did Al go?"

I turned around too as if noticing he had disappeared too, "I don't know. I thought he was right behind me."

Ed scowled angrily, "He better not have run off and found another stray cat."

I laughed nervously at that. Thankfully, Ed didn't catch on. He sighed wearily and leaned against the wall of a restaurant.

"Something on your mind?" I asked, standing next to him.

He glanced at me, seemed to consider something, then looked away, "It's nothing."

"Okay." I said pleasantly and let the silence fall over us. Ed looked at me, surprised that I hadn't pushed more for an answer. This confused him, as I knew it would. I didn't say a word as he quietly debated.

Finally, not being able to take it, Ed asked, "Taylor?"

"Hm?" I hummed, trying not to look or sound too eager.

My plan worked. Ed divulged to me what had been bothering him, "What you said earlier…is it true?"

"What did I say?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

He shifted uneasily and began again, "On the train…when you told Al that you…loved him? Is it…true?"

Perplexed by his behavior, I answered, "Uh, yeah."

"You do?" he shouted.

"Of course. Who wouldn't love Al after spending five minutes with him? He's the most kind-hearted person I've ever met."

Ed continued to act funny, "What about when…when I gave you that necklace you said that you…you…"

I frowned. What was up with him? I just couldn't understand. I'd never seen him so nervous. And what had I said to him anyway? I had been so overjoyed at receiving the flammel necklace that I had hugged Ed and said a lot of 'thank you' and 'I love you' in my excitement. "You mean when I said I loved you?" I asked as realization dawned on me. "I meant that too."

His expression went totally blank, "You really do?"

Then the realization _really_ dawned on me, making me blush and stammer, "Well yeah. I love all my friends. And ever since I met you guys you've been so good to me and I think of you as some of the closest people in my life. I'd take a bullet for you."

He blinked at my words, not expecting that much honesty. Then his face became irritated and he smacked me on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?" I whined, holding the sore spot on my head.

"You dummy. You already have taken a bullet for me."

"Oh…" He must have been talking about when I had gotten kidnapped and him and Al had come to save me. I smiled playfully at him, "Technically that wasn't a bullet. More of a knife."

He shook his head and chuckled lightly, "Does it matter?"

I shrugged, "I guess not." We people watched for a few moments. Then I came to a conclusion, "Hey! You were jealous!"

Startled, he jerked around to look at me, "What?"

"When you were asking me if I really loved Al. You were jealous, weren't you?" I pointed at him accusingly.

I had the great satisfaction of watching his face mimic a tomato, "I was not! What gave you such an absurd idea?"

"You did. Just admit it Edward. You were jealous because you thought I only loved Al and not you."

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was not!"

"Was too-Wait! I didn't mean to say that!"

I danced around victoriously, "Ha! So you admit it!"

"No! You were confusing me!"

"If you say so." I sang. He growled at me. In response, I lifted up my arms and pouted, "Aw, looks like someone could use a hug."

His face was priceless. It contorted in both rage and bewilderment. He finally settled for frustrated and crossed his arms and turned his back to me, muttering incoherently.

I grinned evilly, "I'll take that as a yes!" I latched onto him.

"Ah! What are you doing?" he asked, panicked.

"Relax, Ed. It's called a hug. They don't burn. And anyway, I thought you wanted some of my love."

"I-I never said that!" he argued, fidgeting uncomfortably.

"No, but you implied it."

"No I didn't!"

"Aw, come on Eddy. You know you wanna hug."

"No!"

"But I love you!"

"No!"

"Resistance is futile!"

"Damn it! I'm gonna go find Al. I've had enough of this!" He attempted to pry me off of him. I hung on for dear life.

"You can't escape my love!"

"I can sure as hell try!" he shouted and wriggled out of my grasp. He took off the moment he freed himself. I chased after him, intending to glomp him when the chance provided itself.

_Two minutes later…_

"Dang, he's fast." I muttered to myself as I walked around the town, searching for my prey. I had lost Ed due to his superior speed and my less than stellar running skills. "It's not my fault I suck at running." I whined to myself, wandering aimlessly. I kicked at a stray rock for a few yards. One kick sent it flying into a metal trash bin, making something dash out from its hiding space.

"Gah!" I let out. Seeing it was only a cat, I calmed down. "That does remind me, where's Al? Did Ed find him or…" I trailed off as I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. Smiling, I turned around, "Speak of the…"

The words died the second I took in their form. It wasn't Al or Ed like I had mistaken them for. This person had dark hair and unforgettable emotionless dark pits for eyes. His overall appearance would be completely normal had it not been for the sword he wore slung across his back.

I never had the chance to get scared. He made the first move, tossing me into a brick wall. I stumbled, almost loosing my balance. I regained my footing and raised my arms instinctively as I perceived something flying towards me. My hands blocked the impact of the sword.

"Ah!" I shouted out in pain. Using my hands made the blade sink into the bare skin. I didn't have any other choice. If I moved my arms away he would kill me. I pushed with all of my strength on the blade to keep it from mortally wounding me.

"What did I ever do to you? Why are you trying to kill me?" I demanded. In my peripheral vision I caught a few bystanders passing by the alley I stood in. A couple heard our struggle and looked over. Seeing that people were fighting, they ran off. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt but I prayed that they would get some help and not leave me here to die.

"I'm not trying to kill you."

His answer brought me back to the task at hand. My arms shook as I held the sword at bay, the blade slicing my palms agonizingly. Somehow, I managed to keep the pain out of my voice as I sneered, "Funny. It sure looks like what you're doing."

I decided to make use of my Philosopher's Stone. It may be the only thing that could save me. I strained more against his sword as I sought to draw on the power of my blood. It was difficult to multitask.

Regrettably, something must have tipped him off because he prevented my actions by countering them. He employed that strange alchemy he used when Hughes and I fought him. Electricity flickered around the blade of the sword. He manipulated the current to shock me.

I cried out as I ducked out of the way. I rolled on the ground and leapt back up as fast as possible. He stood right where I left him. He didn't need to hurry after me. Behind me was a dead end and past the swordsman was the single route of escape. It made me cornered. And add on to that the fact that my arms were stunned from the electricity and weren't cooperating and you could say I was screwed.

He took a step towards me. Words spilled out of my mouth, "Just who are you anyway?" It was the first question that popped into my mind and I had to say something. I needed to occupy him long enough for the feeling to come back into my arms. I could barely move them as it was.

His steps halted and his expression turned thoughtful. It had to be the most emotion I had ever seen on his face, which didn't say much. He answered me, "I have no name."

"No name?" I repeated. _Think. Think! Keep him talking. Stall him._ "Then _what _are you?"

"I am the one who sustains this world's balance. My only purpose is to counter the interferences who seek to disrupt that balance. You are an interference. You merely being here alters this world. As its balancer it is my job to preserve this world's fate, for that is essentially what I am."

"Fate, huh?" I mumbled, disappointed that he had started walking towards me again. As I kneeled down on the ground I saw that night all over again. The night I had saved Hughes's life only for him to wind up in a coma. I had given up after I saw Hughes collapse. I had let the fear override my senses and left myself vulnerable. I had lost that battle all because I didn't fight.

"Not this time." I said determinedly. A gleam entered my eyes as I gazed at him, "This time I'm going to fight, even if it is against fate!" I slammed my still stunned hands down onto the concrete and everything exploded.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Damn it! Where the hell did she go?" Ed yelled angrily.

"She couldn't have gotten too far Brother." Al consoled him.

After Ed had eluded Taylor, he had located his brother. Al had asked him where Taylor was and Ed had suggested that she had gone crazy and that they leave without her. Al had promptly chewed him out for saying such a thing. Then he dragged Ed around to search for Taylor.

"It's her fault she got lost in the first place!"

"But you were the one who lost her." Al reprimanded him.

"Oh, sure. Blame it all on me."

"I will!"

_BOOM!_

"Wha-what was that?" Ed stuttered. Him and Al looked around for the source of the explosion that had shook the ground. Nearby, dirt clouds swarmed everywhere and people ran for cover.

"Let's go check it out." Al said. They ran towards the area. They were almost there when something ran out of the dust cloud.

"Who's that?" Ed asked as they stopped and stared at the person running in their direction.

"I think that's Taylor!" Al gasped.

"What?" he said, watching the girl closing the space between them. "Taylor! What the hell's going on?"

Her only answer was to yell at the top of her lungs, "RUN!" She sped past the dumbfounded Elric brothers.

"Run? Why?" Al wondered as they looked back to the area Taylor had come from. Out of the dirt clouds another figure shot out. He wore a fierce expression and wielded a giant sword.

"I wasn't expecting that. RUN AL!" Ed shouted. They turned tail and ran. The two of them easily caught up to Taylor. Ed yelled at her, "What did you do?"

"Why do…you assume…it's my fault?" Taylor panted as she sprinted.

"Because he's chasing _you_!"

"I could be…an innocent…bystander!"

"Yeah that's why a guy with a giant sword is chasing after you!"

"Shut…up…smart…ass!"

Al interrupted them, "He's gaining on us."

"Forget this!" Ed growled, spinning around. He clapped his hands and slapped them to the ground. A giant wall flew upwards to block off their pursuer.

"Good work, Brother!" Al praised him.

"That should hold him for awhile." Ed agreed. The two of them turned around for the third member of their party…only to see her literally hauling ass. Confused. Ed called after her, "Taylor! Why are you still running?"

She threw a reply over her shoulder, "That's not gonna work!"

Ed would have responded but then the newly formed wall exploded into bits. Ed's stomach dropped, "Time to go." They took off yet again as the man resumed chasing them.

When they caught up to Taylor a second time, Al questioned her, "Who is that guy?"

"I'll explain…later. Run…for now."

"But where do we run to?" Al wondered. "He's too fast. He'll find us if we hide. I don't want us to have to fight him but we can't outrun him."

A plan formed in Ed's mind as he said, "Maybe we can't but something else can. Let's get to the train station! The train to Dublith should be leaving now."

They turned corners and ran down streets, townspeople steering clear of the rowdy bunch. A long stretch remained and the station came into view as Taylor's steps faltered.

"I'm not…gonna make it." she groaned, looking ready to drop.

"Just a little farther." Ed urged her on.

She shook her head, "I…can't." Then she stopped all together, collapsing on the ground. Al barely halted his run, swooping down to grab her and carry her as they dashed for the station. As they got closer they could see the train to Dublith heading out speedily.

"We're gonna have to jump!" Ed shouted.

With the man on their heels, they sprinted along the railroad tracks to catch up with the train. Al, having longer legs and infinite energy, made it to the train first. He leaped on board with Taylor secure in his arms. He turned back and yelled for his brother.

Ed grunted as he jumped for the train. The man swung his sword at the same time. The blade of it missed Edward by less than a centimeter. Once they were onboard, they watched to see if the man would follow. He did, briefly. Moments later the train had accelerated to a speed too great for him. When he realized he wouldn't catch them, he slowed his pace and stopped.

Al set Taylor on her own feet and the three of them walked inside. They found an empty booth and slumped into the seats.

"Close call." Ed sighed, resting his eyes.

Taylor, still breathing heavily, nodded in agreement from where she sat by Al.

"Are you okay?" Al asked her worriedly.

"Yeah, I just really hate running." she groaned. "I never was cut out for that sort of thing."

They sat in silence for a minute, letting themselves adjust. Then Ed spoke, "Who was that guy and what did you do to piss him off?"

Taylor sighed heavily and began, "You guys remember when I told you about the guy who had attacked Hughes and I when I tried to save him?" They nodded and she went on, "Well, you just met him."

"That whacko with the sword? That was him?" Ed exclaimed.

"Yep. Truth's lackey and my personal tormenter. The one and only. Calls himself 'Fate' or some crap." she prattled.

"He's strong." Al commented. "He blew up that wall like it was nothing."

"I don't think he did that with just his sword. The explosion wouldn't have had as much force if he had." Ed stated.

"He must have used his alchemy."

Al and Ed stared at Taylor.

"He's an alchemist?" Al asked.

She shrugged, "I'm not really sure. He said something one time about his alchemy not being as limited as mine so maybe he doesn't even use transmutation circles. But however he does it, it's powerful. I…don't even think he's human."

Ed, being the skeptic that he is, snorted, "That's nonsense. What else could he be?"

"He could be a homunculus." Al reasoned. That caused Ed to stop and reconsider.

"He's not." Taylor tossed aside that possibility. "At least, I don't think he is. He's certainly faster and stronger than an average person but he can use alchemy. The Homunculi can't use alchemy. Plus, Truth told me that he was working for it. That right there proves that something's abnormal about him. It makes me wonder…what _is _he?"

"What all has he said to you?" Ed asked.

"Not much. He said he was here because I was here and that he was the balancer of this world."

"A counterbalance?" Ed theorized.

"That could explain it." Al guessed.

"Explain what?" Taylor looked at them for an answer.

"You come from the other side of the gate. By all accounts you shouldn't have been able to cross over, yet you did."

"And because you're an outside force to this world another force has been put into place to counteract you." Ed finished the explanation.

"That…" she searched for the best word to cover all of this, "…sucks."

"You said it." Ed concurred.

"You know…" Taylor began but hesitated. They looked at her and waited for her to speak. She found her voice and said, "You know he's probably going to show up again. He'll keep chasing me and people could get hurt for simply being involved with me. I would understand if you guys didn't want me to travel with you anymore."

Ed's eyes widened. Was she serious? Did she really not want to travel with them anymore? He didn't want that. He wanted to keep her nearby so that he could protect her and make sure she was always safe. It didn't matter to him if he might get hurt by being around her. What mattered to him was the possibility of her leaving and her being the one to get hurt.

"Of course we want you to keep traveling with us!" Al disputed fervently. "Right Brother?"

Ed stared into Taylor's wide green eyes. They seemed torn between telling him to say no and begging him to say yes. He realized that she did want to stay with them. She just didn't want to cause them pain.

Instead of an answer, Ed asked her, "Do you want to stay with us?" He already knew the answer but he wanted her to say it out loud.

Her gaze flickered away from him nervously. She ducked her head and muttered something.

"What?"

"I said yes." she repeated, louder this time.

Ed smirked, pleased. He crossed his arms and legs and concluded, "Then you're staying with us."

Her head bobbed back up, "Are you sure? He might go after you just for helping me."

"Then we'll be there to fight him with you." Ed assured her.

"Together." Al nodded.

Taylor smiled. Then she quickly grimaced as if in pain.

"Something wrong?" asked Al.

She held up hands to show them. They both gasped in shock.

"Your hands!"

"Their bleeding!"

"My battle wounds from fighting 'Fate'." she said. The palms of her hands bore gashes covered in blood.

"Why didn't you say something before?" Ed demanded angrily.

"I'll see if I can find some first aid." Al said, about to hop up.

"There's no need for that." Taylor stopped him.

"But your bleeding!" Al argued.

"Just wait." she told him. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her expression showed intense concentration. The brothers leaned forward, wondering why she only sat there. What was she doing?

Red sparks danced over her hands, surprising them. The wounds glowed and closed slowly, leaving no trace behind. Taylor then peaked out of one eye to see the result. Her reaction was a mix of excitement and resentment, "It worked."

"You healed yourself!" Al said, amazed. "Just like those other times. Does that mean you figured out how to do that?"

She nodded, "Yeah. It takes a lot out of me though. God, I'm exhausted."

"How did you do it?" Ed asked her. This was the biggest question he had never been able to solve. He had seen with his own eyes how she healed herself but it shouldn't have been possible. Then again, Taylor being on this side of the gate shouldn't be possible either. Ever since he had met Taylor, Ed had begun to question many things.

Taylor brought her knees up to her chest and hugged them. Staring out the window, she replied, "It's an ability I picked up when I first met Truth and crossed through the gate. Let's just leave it at that."

Ed wanted to persist but he didn't. She looked so sullen and…un-Taylor like about the whole thing. So, even though his mind desperately wanted answers, he backed down.

"Let's just get some shut eye." Ed suggested, slumping further into his seat. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to take him. It did not. He remained too pumped from the earlier events of the day. His mind wouldn't shut off and let him rest. He gazed out the window at the passing night and let the questions run through his thoughts in hopes that he could find some understanding. But he only came up with more questions.

Taylor, who had been leaning against Al and Ed thought had went to sleep, got up and switched seats. She sat down beside Ed.

"What are you-" Ed started.

"I need a softer pillow." she mumbled sleepily. Not waiting for his response, she laid her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Ed blinked at her straightforwardness. He heard a small chuckle from the other bench. He looked up to find Al laughing at him.

"Shut up." Ed muttered to him. Al turned away as if he hadn't done anything.

Ed went back to gazing out the window. The entire time he could feel the closeness of her body, the slowing of her breath as she settled into sleep. For some reason, this comforted him and lulled him further to sleep. When he couldn't keep his eyes open any longer he rested his head on Taylor's and went into a peaceful slumber.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"We're here!" I shouted as we stepped off of the train onto the platform in Dublith.

"You say that as if it's a good thing." Ed mumbled dismally. You could practically see the storm clouds raining over him.

"It is a good thing. I get to meet Izumi!"

Ed scoffed, "You call that a _good_ thing? Are you crazy?"

"Yeah, but that's besides the point. I want to meet Izumi because she's awesome! She's smart, can kick butt, and even though she can be scary at times she can also be caring. She's my second most favorite female FMA character, right after Olivier Armstrong."

"Armstrong?" Al looked at me curiously. "Is she related to the major?"

I nodded and Ed mused, "Come to think of it, I've heard before that he's got a sister who's a general…but I don't ever want to meet her if she's related to Armstrong."

"She's nothing like Major Armstrong." I told them. "She's way less dramatic and is good at her job and is _fierce_! I hope we get to meet her. Even if she is scarier than Izumi I still want to meet her."

"You mean there's actually someone scarier than Teacher?" Ed asked in shock.

Al whimpered, "I didn't think that was possible."

We strolled through the streets of Dublith. I let them lead the way since I had no idea where we were going. I knew most of the events from the series but I knew absolutely squat when it came to locations. I'd be completely lost without Ed and Al…but don't tell them that.

Yesterday had been a good day until the run in with Fate (which is what I'm going to refer to him as now). It had been tough, though we had escaped intact. And I had warned them that this could happen again and we might not be so lucky next time but Ed and Al still wanted me to be with them. I didn't want anyone to be hurt because of me again like Hughes, especially the brothers. But…I wanted to stay with them. The idea of being away from them frightened me. I wouldn't know what was going on with them and I would be left alone and vulnerable. It was completely selfish of me to stay with them. I would probably hurt them more than help them. I knew this, and yet, I still stuck with them.

I shook myself. I would not let myself think like this. I would make today a good day. I wasn't going to mope around and be depressed. My determination wouldn't let me. I could think about this later. For now, I'd go with the flow and see where it took me.

"There it is." Ed said with a frown. The meat shop had come into view and as it did excitement fluttered in me…and then surprise as Ed ran into someone.

"Hey!" Ed yelled from where he had fallen to the ground. He glared up at the tall man he had run into. Then his face lost some of it's anger as he recognized the guy. "Mason?"

Mason looked down at Ed's form, "Huh? Is that you Edward?"

Ed got off of the ground and brushed himself off, "Yeah. It's been a long time."

"I'll say. You're still as puny as ever." Mason grinned and ruffled his hair.

Ed glared once again at him, "You just love to piss me off, don't you?"

He laughed, "Yep. You're still the same. So who are you're friends?"

"It's me. Alphonse." Al waved at him.

Mason's jaw dropped at the suit of armor, "Al? That's one heck of a growth spurt."

"And I'm Taylor. Nice to meet you." I shook hands with him.

"Likewise. So are you guys here to see Izumi?"

Ed nodded, "Yeah. But if she's not here then I guess we'll have to come back some other time."

Before Ed could make a quick getaway Mason stopped him by saying, "Oh she's here alright. I'll go get her."

"Great." Ed groaned sarcastically.

We went to the meat shop and waited for Mason outside while he went in. A minute later a large giant with a meat cleaver stepped out. He looked at the boys curiously and gave me a wary glance.

"Edward. It's good to see you. You've grown." Sig finally said and patted his head. "You here to visit Izumi?"

"Yeah. Al and I came to see Teacher."

Sig looked to the suit of armor, "Alphonse?"

"Yes. It's me."

The big man laid a hand on his head as well and patted him, "You've grown too."

Al chuckled a bit.

"So is she here?" Ed asked, impatient as always.

"She's resting. I'll go see if she's up to company." he walked off and we followed him. He went up to an open window of the house and talked through it.

As he talked, I turned to Ed, "I'm warning you, alright? Be careful."

"What are you talking about?" Ed asked in confusion.

I gave him a stern look, "Ed, you and Al know your teacher better than anyone. You know what's about to happen so don't say I didn't warn you."

He still didn't get it. So when the front door crashed open, and Al and I jumped out of the way, Ed was left standing there. And he got a face full of foot. The force of the kick was so powerful that he went flying across the yard.

Izumi stepped outside, "So my idiot pupils finally pay me a visit."

Ed sat up from the ground holding his injured face. He didn't get a chance to stand up because Izumi struck again. Poor Ed. Izumi pounded him nearly to death. Then she turned to Al. And just like in Brotherhood, she tricked Al into thinking he was safe from her wrath and flipped him. It was kind of funny to watch but I could fully appreciate why the two of them feared Izumi so much by seeing this in person.

I stepped over to Izumi to introduce myself when she grabbed my wrist and tossed me through the air. My body crashed to the ground as she flipped me expertly.

She seemed taken aback as she blinked at me and said, "You're not one of my students. Who are you?"

"I'll tell you as soon as the world stops spinning." I replied dizzily. Man, that hurt.

For a moment, Izumi glanced back and forth between me and her students. Then her gaze rested on Ed and Al who were huddled together in terror, "It looks like you two have a lot of explaining to do."

"Yes, Teacher!" they squeaked.

"You-," she began until a coughing spasm interrupted her. Blood splashed out of her mouth.

"Teacher!" Ed and Al cried together in alarm. I didn't say anything at all. Sure I knew this happened to her a lot because of her condition but it shocked me so much at how violent the coughs and the blood were. The animes had made it seem kind of funny at times. I found no humor in seeing this what so ever.

Sig came to the rescue and swept his wife up and jogged her inside. That left the three of us standing out there, stunned.

"Is she going to be okay?" I asked them. Even though I knew she would be I couldn't help but worry.

Al answered grimly, "Yes. She's been sick like this for years. We tend to forget that most of the time because she's always so strong. When she overexerts herself she'll have an attack and cough blood. It should pass in a little while though."

"Good." I smiled. "Should we go in now?"

"Yeah." Ed said, and went to go inside. Then he stopped and turned to me angrily, "What the hell, Taylor?"

"What?" I asked, throwing up my hands. What did I do now?

"You could have told me that Teacher was gonna smash my face in!"

I rolled my eyes at him, "I did warn you."

"You call that a warning? You didn't tell me anything!"

"I was trying to be subtle. At least I gave you a little hint."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE!"

I ran inside with an angry Edward chasing me.

* * *

><p><strong>I almost stopped this chapter when they got on the train to Dublith but I kept going since I love you guys so much and I wanted them to get there already.<strong>

**Hope you enjoyed! See ya next time!**


	34. Chapter 34

**So here we are at the 34th chapter, 405 reviews, ** **and** **24,696 hits. XD It makes me so happy! This is the longest story I have ever written. TBA has 269 pages on my computer. That's a lot! I'd like to thank all of you guys for getting me this far. Seriously, I read all of your reviews and they help me consider TBA in new ways that give me ideas. For instance, rachLA reviewed the last chapter and said there should be some more drama. I totally agree and most of this chapter happened because of what you said. Thanks for inspiring me on this chappy, rachLA! So remember peoples, reviews really help, whether they're good or bad.**

**Random thing that happened this week: I found out that my brother has bitten someone's cheek off before... Apparently, he's not the best target for muggers.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34<strong>

**Arguments and Islands**

(-Taylor-)

After Ed had gotten over his temper tantrum, we settled at the large table in the dining room ('we' being me, Ed, Al, Izumi, Sig, and Mason). The table had been set with bunches of food that had appeared out of nowhere…almost as if they knew we were coming…can you say paranoid? Anyway, Izumi assured everyone that her episode had passed and that we should all eat. I noticed Ed simply staring at his food. His nerves were probably too great for him to be hungry.

I tried to lighten the mood by teasing him, "Ed, you better eat up before I eat your food for you."

"That's okay. I'm not that hungry." he replied.

"Eat it now, Ed." Izumi ordered.

"Yes ma'am."

_How does she do it?_ I wondered. Does she use a special tone of voice or did Izumi beat the fear into them? I peaked over at Ed, considering whether or not I could beat fear into him. Without anyone else noticing, I fisted my hand and punched Ed's arm. A _thud_ resounded and I jerked my hand back. Everyone looked at me, even Ed but only because he had heard the noise. After all, he couldn't feel my punch with his _automail_!

"Taylor?" Ed questioned.

"I, uh, just hit my hand on the table. That's all. Carry on!" I dove into my plate in the hopes that they would do the same and ignore my faux pas. With my moment of stupidity over, the lunch continued.

"How long have you known Ed and Al for, Taylor?" Izumi asked me.

I looked up into her dark eyes. They seemed to peer right into my soul. Gulping, I said, "I've known them for a couple of months now. We met in Resembool when I was visiting my friend Winry. We started traveling together and since Winry stayed in Rush Valley she sent me to keep an eye on these two knuckle heads."

Ed raised an eyebrow at the outrageous lie but didn't comment. Izumi smiled amusingly. I couldn't tell if she knew I lied or not. Knowing how perceptive she is, she probably did but kept it to herself.

"And a woman had a baby while we were in Rush Valley!" Al exclaimed.

"Yeah, it was amazing!" Ed piped up.

"And Taylor helped the mother give birth!" Al added.

"I wouldn't call it helping." I corrected. "Winry's the one who did the heavy lifting. I just followed her orders until I fainted."

"Regardless, it's a valuable experience." Izumi commented. "When a mother gives birth to a new life all the people around her are blessed."

We all nodded in agreement and Al asked, "Speaking of children, why haven't you had any Teacher?"

Mason stood up abruptly, startling us all. Everyone looked at him as he floundered around, "Uh, I uh-hey Ed! You and Al have improved in your alchemy, right? Would you mind showing me?"

Ed looked confused but nodded, "Sure." Ed and Al went out with Mason. I lingered for a moment at the table before joining them. I saw Sig lay a comforting hand on his wife and she smiled and whispered something to him in return.

Outside in the little yard Al had already gotten started. He finished drawing an array and activated it to create a pony.

I laughed and pointed, "Look! It's the perfect size for Edward!"

Ed snarled at me, "Oh yeah! I'll show you!" He went to make something, probably something big and over the top.

"Teacher! Teacher!" three kids cried as they ran into the yard. Everyone paused to look at them and Izumi greeted them at the door.

One of them handed a broken toy to her, "Can you fix it?"

She smiled at the youngster, "Of course." She took the toy train and used a twig to adjust the wheels in the proper place. Satisfied, she handed the toy back to the boy.

He pouted, "Why didn't you just use alchemy?"

"Alchemy isn't the answer to all of our problems. If you can fix it with your own two hands then you should."

"Yeah, but it's ugly now."

"But you'll find it works just as well." She patted his head and the kid smiled at her. He ran off with his friends, saying that if it broke again he would bring it back. "Let's try to keep it down to once a day!" she called back to him.

Then another kid ran over to Izumi.

"Izumi's pretty popular, huh?" I said to Al and Ed. They nodded in agreement as we watched the little girl speak to the older woman.

"Teacher! It's Chico!"

"What happened?" Izumi knelt down to the girl's eye level.

"A dog chased her up onto the roof!"

Al literally jumped into action. He sped off in the direction of the little girl's home as the rest of us struggled to keep up. Once he got there, he towered over the dog that barked up at the cat on the roof. The dog took one glance at Al and ran for the hills. I had to hold back my laughter at seeing Al so terrifying in the defense of a cat.

As the rest of us ran onto the scene, Ed blurred past Al and climbed up the rain gutter to the roof.

"She had her kittens!" he called down to us. Then one of the newborn kittens toppled over the edge. Ed reacted quickly, clapping his hands and transmuting the wall to catch the kitty. I glanced over to Izumi and sure enough her eyes widened knowingly.

After the kittens and the mother had been removed from the roof, Izumi consoled the little girl. The girl begged her to fix Chico but Izumi explained to her gently that she could not, that the cat was dead. The girl cried, saying that she was just here. It made me want to cry as well. Izumi proposed that we make a grave for the cat and we did just that.

As the sun descended towards the horizon, our group stood at the new grave with solemn faces. The little girl continued to cry and it broke my heart. I crouched beside her and patted her back, "Chico may be gone now but she left behind a piece of herself." She sniffled and looked at me confused. I smiled and gestured to the basket of kittens lying beside her, "Her babies. Her life is over but theirs are just beginning and they're going to need someone to help them grow up. You can honor Chico's memory by raising her kittens. Can you do that?"

I picked up the basket and held it out for her. She sniffed again, wiped at her face, and nodded. She accepted the basket and stared at the precious contents.

"I promise you Chico is very happy that you'll look after her kittens." I smiled at the girl and she grinned in return.

Izumi, Ed, and Al were quiet during the exchange. I stood up and offered to take the girl home. Izumi nodded her consent. I knew she wanted to talk to the boys alone. I would leave and give them privacy.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

They came back almost an hour later. I had waited at the meat shop, helping Mason close down for the night. Al came in with a very disheveled Ed at his side.

Mason whistled, "She sure got you two good. What did you do this time?"

They looked at each other nervously and I came to their rescue, "Let me guess. Izumi found out that Ed was a State Alchemist and beat him up for it and then beat Al up for letting him join the military in the first place."

They hesitated for a moment. Then Al chuckled, "Yeah. That's about right."

"A State Alchemist?" Mason asked, staring at Ed. Ed shrugged in response.

I clapped my hands, "Well! It's getting late and we should be going. Right guys?"

They nodded in relief and I pushed them out the door, waving bye to Mason. We stood outside, breathing in the night air.

I peered at Ed's face and pointed at his bruised cheek, "That looks pretty bad. You should put some ice on it."

"Ow! Don't poke it!" he whined.

"Oh, stop being such a big baby. Al got it just as bad as you and you don't see him complaining."

"In case you haven't noticed, AL DOESN'T BRUISE AS EASILY!"

I sniffled, "But he can bruise where it hurts the most. Right here." I pointed at my heart.

"His chest?"

"His _heart, _you moron!"

"You guys, don't fight." Al pleaded.

We sighed and obeyed and went to the house. It was quiet inside. Izumi and Sig must have went to their room or something. Ed slumped onto the couch and Al stared out a window. The two of them were positively…negative. We needed something to lighten up the mood. Something like…hee hee.

I thought of the perfect thing. I had yet to exact my revenge on Ed for stealing my brownies and now seemed like the perfect time.

Step one of exacting revenge on Edward Elric: sneak off to the kitchen and get a colored glass so that the contents won't be seen. Step two: pour milk into the cup. Step three: grin evilly.

I walked nonchalantly into the living room and said to myself, "Man, I cannot wait to drink this."

When someone says something like that, you can't help but reflexively ask, "What?" And that's just what Ed did.

"Drink what?" he asked in a bored tone.

I jumped as if I had been caught and hid the drink behind my back, "Nothing!"

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing!"

He scowled at me, "Do you think I'm stupid? I just saw you hide it behind you're back."

I laughed lightly, "Maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you?"

He stood and marched over to me and tried to peek behind me. I moved to block him. He did it a second time and again I moved. Al watched us from the sidelines. From his position he could see exactly what I held. I worried for a second that he would ruin my plan and tell Ed but he didn't.

"It's nothing!" I persisted.

"Obviously it's something because you're hiding it. What is it?"

"I…really shouldn't show you." I said, averting my eyes as if I were worried.

Ed frowned, "Just show it to me already."

I smothered my urge to grin and told him, "Well, it's just a type of drink we have back in my world. And it has…special qualities."

He arched an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"It can make you grow taller."

Ed's eyes widened as far as they could go. The next thing I knew Ed had snatched the cup out of my hands and downed it in huge gulps. He must have been halfway through the glass when he paused at the taste and looked into the cup.

I smiled viciously, "Did I mention it's called 'milk'?"

All hell broke loose after that. Ed threw the cup at me and I had to leap out of the way to avoid it.

I glanced at Al, "I think I made it angry."

"I AM GOING TO PULVERIZE YOU!" Ed roared.

I dodged as he charged me and I ran out the door.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

Al waited patiently inside the house while Taylor and Ed had ran outside fighting. He hated to see them bickering and he wanted to go out there and force them to get along but he forced himself to stay inside. They needed to learn how to deal with their squabbles on their own.

"And besides," he whimpered to himself, "if I got in between the two of them I probably wouldn't make it out alive."

Ten minutes later Taylor marched back into the house. Al flinched. He had never seen her so livid. Her glare rivaled even his teacher's.

"I swear I'm going to strangle that boy!"

Assuming that 'boy' referred to Edward, Al gasped, "Why would you do that?"

A dark look crossed her face, "Don't ask!" Al cowered away as she walked to the room she was to sleep in tonight and closed the door firmly behind her.

Ed stomped inside in the same angry manner.

"Brother?" Al asked. "What happened between you and Taylor?"

Ed's eyes turned black and he growled, "Let's just say I am seriously questioning Taylor's sanity." Then he went to his and Al's room and slammed the door.

At a loss, Al sat there and wondered what had transpired between his brother and friend.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

Obviously, something had happened last night. Something dreadful. And the next morning it only got worse.

It began with Ed and Taylor ignoring each other. Izumi had made breakfast and Taylor remained docile towards her and offered her help. Izumi had accepted but had sent Al a curious glance whenever Taylor had said good morning to everyone except Edward, giving him the cold shoulder. Al shrugged, not having the slightest idea as to why the two were upset with each other, nor did he know how to resolve it.

After a tense breakfast, Ed had struck up a conversation with Al. He had started the subject about alchemy, though as it progressed, Al could sense some underlying meanings to a few of the things Ed had said. No doubt, they were to rile Taylor up. It worked. Taylor interrupted Ed's chatter with a conversation of her own with Al, though this was much in the same as Ed's had been: to insult him. And then Ed began to break into her words with some of his own and insulting her as well without talking directly to her. Al honestly couldn't understand what either of them were talking about anymore. He got up from the table and escaped to the living room.

Unfortunately, they followed him in there and that's where they stayed. They continued to ignore each other while putting in snide remarks about the other. Al didn't even need to respond, so caught up in their insult battle they were. Al finally suggested that they should talk this out with each other and be more civilized. They went on as if he had never spoken. Ed went to the bathroom and Taylor got her sketchbook, sat on the couch, and began drawing. Al couldn't see what she was sketching but it probably involved Ed roasting over a fire or something of the sort.

Ed came back in and flopped onto the couch, laying down so that his feet landed in Taylor's lap. She looked away from her sketchbook and glared at his socked feet.

"Remove your feet from my lap." she ordered.

"Why?" Ed asked childishly.

"Because feet are disgusting!" she hissed.

He rolled his eyes and moved his right foot to the floor. His left remained.

"That one too!" she commanded.

"It's not even a real foot." he protested.

"My foot phobia does not care! If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck then it's a duck."

"…But it's a foot."

She used her tablet to smack him. When Ed complained she smacked him again, harder this time. When he said something else she did it again. He snatched the sketchbook away from her and held it out of her reach. She snarled at him and that's when they began yelling in earnest. And boy, there were some colorful words.

"That's enough!" Al shut them up.

Ed and Taylor paused briefly, then picked up their argument where they had left off. Al sighed and grabbed both of them by their collars. Ignoring their objections, he dragged them down the hall and tossed them into a bedroom. He closed and locked the door.

"What the hell, Al!" Ed yelled through the door.

"I'm not letting you out until you two stop fighting." Al said sternly.

A moment passed and then Taylor said, "…You know we can transmute the door open, right?"

Actually, Al had forgotten that minor detail. Rescuing him from having to come up with an alternate plan, Izumi stepped up to Al's side with a determined expression. If Al had a mouth he would have smiled.

"Go ahead and try!" Al goaded them, stepping back and letting Izumi stand alone in front of the door.

He heard the sound of a clap and knew it had worked. An opening appeared in the door and Ed stood there…but only for a second because Izumi kicked him back into the room. She walked in there and began in a severe tone, "I have had enough of your juvenile behavior! You are going to come to some sort of agreement. Is that clear?"

"But he/she started it!" they both pointed to each other.

Izumi smacked them both, "I don't care which one of you started it because I am going to end it!"

True to her word, Izumi settled the matter in her own unique way.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Don't leave me here!" I begged, calling for them to come back. I received no answer other than a wave from Izumi as she, Sig, and Al rowed back across the lake in their rowboat…leaving me stranded on Yoke Island…with none other than _Edward_.

Tears streamed down my face in waterfalls as I looked up to the sky, "Why you so cruel, God?"

"Nice going, Taylor." Ed rumbled, kicking at the sand on the beach.

I spun around, "Don't you _dare_ say that this is my fault! If it's anyone's fault it's yours!"

He pointed at me accusingly, "Ha! If you hadn't have overreacted so bad we wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place."

"I didn't overreact! I acted very accordingly, thank you very much. In fact, I should've done a lot worse for what you did."

"I didn't even do anything!" he shouted in his fury. "You're the one making a big deal over nothing!"

My eye twitched, "A _big _deal, you say? Of course you would say that Edward." He rolled his eyes at me, making me stomp my foot and growl in frustration, "Damn it! This is not how the anime went! Even in the first series Izumi never sent Winry here. So why me?"

"What are you talking about?"

I turned away from him and answered snootily, "Nothing! Nothing at all."

Ed watched me with narrowed eyes, "This has something to do about the timeline of the story, right?"

"Maybe." I answered noncommittally.

Forgetting his anger for the moment, he asked, "Has something different happened?"

"Maybe."

"Is that all you're going to tell me?"

"…Maybe."

"Arg! What is it with you?"

"Gee, I don't know Edward. What is it with me?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out!"

"If you have to figure it out then you're not very smart, are you?"

"Or maybe you're just that insane!"

I crossed my arms defensively, "So I'm not only over reactive, I'm also insane too? Not to mention what you said about me last night. Glad to know what you really think of me." I turned on my heel and marched away from him.

A growl sounded from behind me, "What did I even say?"  
>I looked over my shoulder to give him a disbelieving look. The nerve of that boy… "You know what you said! And I still haven't heard an apology either!"<p>

"I'm not apologizing!"

"Ha! I thought you didn't know what you said!"

He pulled at his hair angrily, "I don't! So it would be pointless for me to apologize for something I don't even know what I'm apologizing for. Plus, whatever it is that you think I said or did to you it was probably justified."

"Is that right?" I seethed.

"That's right!"

"Hmph!" I turned back to the direction I had been heading and starting walking up the beach.

A few moments later I heard Ed call out to me, "Where are you even going?"

"My side of the island! You stay over there on your side!"

"Wha-? You can't just split the island!"

"Watch me!"

"Fine! But don't come crying to me when you get attacked by a wild bear or something!"

I glanced over my shoulder to see him smirking. That smirk shriveled when I said, "You know as well as I do that the most dangerous animal on this island is nothing more than a fox!"

I saw Ed's mouth move as he whispered something to himself, probably a curse. Satisfied, I walked into the forest.

The gratification didn't last long. Wiping that smirk off his face had been great but the rage rebuilt itself inside me within minutes. Soon, I was stomping through the forest, my hands balled into tight fists. A red haze settled in my vision and my breath turned into ragged growls as I recalled last night.

_It had started with that harmless milk prank. Ed chased me out into the yard and I laughed at his threats. I knew I wouldn't be able to outrun him so I attempted to evade him by darting in different directions to throw him off. Then I dodged him as he made a grab for me and flew over to a fence that came up to the middle of my torso. Just as I put my foot on the fence to vault over it I felt something grab the fabric of my jacket and pull me back. I lost my balance and toppled backward, right onto Ed. We landed on the ground, Ed grunting at the impact of the ground and me cringing at the metal arm that I had fallen on. I moved my head so that I could see him. He blinked at me rapidly and opened his mouth…_

I stopped at a thin tree and kicked it down to release some of my anger. It shuddered and with a couple more kicks I was rewarded with a _snap_! And when the tree had broken in half, no, I was not happy and no, it did nothing to help the situation but I didn't care! I had all this pent up anger and using a tree as my punching bag was fine by me! And when I yelled at the broken remains it just took all of my words in silence. It didn't say anything back to me and it sure as hell didn't repeat those offending words Edward had said to me last night.

"Who needs that jerk anyway?" I shouted at the still silent tree. "I can do this on my own! I can survive until Izumi comes back!" _If she comes back_, a voice whispered to me. I shook my head, "No, it's Izumi. She'll come back. I'll just have to survive on my own in the meantime."

That's when I came to a startling revelation, "…I CAN'T HUNT AND I HAVE NO WILDLIFE SKILLS! I'M GONNA STARVE! WHY ME?"

* * *

><p>(-Envy-)<p>

"How did everything go?" the calm voice of Lust asked him through the phone.

"I found the boy. He's bratty and annoying but he's willing to comply." Envy replied. The homunculus stared unseeingly out the window from where he perched. He loathed this town. Too many people walked through the streets with sickeningly sweet smiles on their faces. He couldn't wait to leave.

"The Master will be pleased. Where is he now?"

"Sloth's watching over him now. I'm glad she came along, otherwise I would have strangled him by now."

It had only been yesterday when the Homunculi's master had tracked down another homunculus and sent Envy and Sloth to collect him. They had found Wrath on a small island in Dublith. He had been wandering on his own for sometime and had taken quite a liking to the motherly Sloth. She had been the one to convince him to join them and he agreed willingly. They had left Dublith quickly to prevent an encounter with the rebel homunculus, Greed, who had settled down there. Speaking of…

"What does the Master have planned for Greed?" Envy asked Lust.

"She's sending Pride over there soon to take care of him."

Envy chuckled viciously, "That's very good news."

They hung up a minute later and Envy stood up, cracking his neck.

That's when the door slammed open and Wrath lunged towards Envy.

"Wha-?" Envy exclaimed in surprise.

Wrath clutched at his arm, "He's hurting Mommy! You have to help her!"

"What are you talking about, Brat?" he asked in irritation.

Then someone else entered the room, someone Envy didn't know. Envy barely spared him a glance and growled, "Buzz off. I'm not in the mood."

"That means little to me." the stranger spoke in a calm and controlled voice.

Wrath ran at him and hissed, "I'll kill you!"

The man made no move to attack or defend. Envy thought for a moment that he would simply take whatever Wrath threw at him. He didn't. So fast that not even Envy's sharp eyes could see it, the man's leg snapped out. Wrath hurtled into the wall behind Envy, the wood denting from the impact.

Sloth entered the room and used this opportunity to sneak her liquid body around the man, encasing him in water.

"About time, Sloth." Envy crossed his arms. No sooner had he said it, the man raised his hand up and latched onto the hilt of the large sword he carried on his back. Suddenly, electricity crackled throughout Sloth's water form, making her cry out and retreat. The man stood there calmly, staring at Envy with no expression whatsoever.

Envy frowned, "Interesting skills you have there. Mind telling us who you are? I don't usually care if I know the names of the people I kill but I'm curious."

"You cannot kill me." he answered in a smooth voice.

"I'll prove you wrong." he smirked and jumped at him with a raised fist.

The man moved his head to the side effortlessly, leaving Envy's hand hitting air. Envy used his momentum to spin and swipe his heel into the guy's chest. Envy was shocked when his ankle was caught and in the next second the man flung his body into a table, smashing it to pieces. Keeping his grip, the man used Envy's body as a weapon against Wrath as the boy tried to jump into the fight. They both landed in a crumpled heap by the window.

Envy stood up and spat at him, "You-"

The man cut him off, literally. With his sword, he sliced Envy's throat so deeply it almost decapitated him. Leaving the homunculus no time to recover, he sunk the blade into his stomach.

Envy coughed splashes of blood onto the floor. With his neck in the process of regenerating, he snarled harshly, "You'll need more than that to kill me."

The man obliged, lighting his blade up to fry Envy. Envy's body twitched wildly as the white hot electricity coursed through him. His mouth parted in a silent scream. He could actually feel his eyes boiling in their sockets.

Sloth attempted to attack the stranger, probably thinking he would be too distracted to notice her. That was not the case. With lightening speed, he pulled his sword out of Envy and sunk into a crouch. He swiveled his sword and threw it against his shoulder and pushed the blade into Sloth's head above him as she was about to strike him from behind. His movements had been too fast for Sloth since she had not reverted to her liquid state to save herself. He tightened his grip on the hilt and used the electric current he produced from it and exploded her head.

And that's how it went on for the next several minutes. No matter how much the Homunculi regenerated and no matter what they threw at him the stranger regarded all of their attacks as if they were nothing. He effortlessly killed them time and time again. It should have been impossible, a mere human, a nothing, taking on not one but three Homunculi. This guy should have been dead by now, not wiping the floor with them while wearing that damn empty expression. He had dealt enough damage that the Homunculi were actually reaching their limits.

The three Homunculi were strewn around the floor, the man staring at them without a flicker of emotion. "Are you done?" he asked them.

"Go to Hell!" Envy snapped at him. This resulted in the man stabbing him in the back and pinning him to the floor.

"The sooner you surrender the sooner we can discuss business."

"You must be a senseless idiot if you think I'm going to-"

The electricity running into his body interrupted him.

"Stop." Sloth's voice cut through the air. The man ceased his actions and turned to her, keeping Envy restrained to the floor.

"What are you doing?" Envy choked out.

She answered somberly, "It's obvious that's he's strong. If we can settle this peacefully then it would be better." Though Sloth did not show anything more than her calm visage, Wrath huddled next to her with a frightened look in his eyes.

Envy wanted to do nothing more than beat this guy to death. He had overpowered him and his pride had taken a severe hit at being defeated by a human. But Sloth had to go all reasonable on him and even the brat had lost the fight in him.

Envy rolled his purple eyes up to the man. He glared at him as he spat out, "What did you come here for?"

He answered, "I have a proposition for you."

* * *

><p><strong>THE CLIFFHANGER OF DEATH! MWHAHAHAHA!<strong>

**I wanted to keep going but this seemed like a good place to end the chapter. Aren't I nice?**

**Taylor: No!**

**LeFay: You don't think I'm nice?**

**Taylor: No! You're evil!**

**LeFay: You're absolutely right! I am evil! Wanna be evil together?**

**Taylor: No!**

**LeFay: Ya know you want to.**

**Taylor: No I don't.**

**LeFay: Come to the dark side, Taylor. We have poptarts.**

**Taylor: Never-, wait what kind are they?**

**LeFay: Smores.**

**Taylor: Gimme!**

**While Taylor and I eat poptarts enjoy this omake of when Taylor meets Izumi.**

* * *

><p><strong>OMAKE<strong>

After Izumi flipped me and realized I wasn't one of her pupils, I hopped up and introduced myself, "I'm Taylor! It's so good to finally meet you!"

"What do you mean by 'finally'?" Izumi asked, eyeing me warily.

"I've always wanted to meet you! I'm you're biggest fan!"

She raised an eyebrow, "You are?"

I nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, cause you're so awesome! I just love it when you go," and at this part I placed my hands on my hips and said in a strong voice, "I'm a housewife!"

"There's just one thing though," Izumi said. "You're not doing it right."

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"You've got to say it more confidently. Like this: I'M A HOUSEWIFE!"

I tried copying her, "I'm a housewife!"

"Louder, from the diaphragm." she ordered.

"I'M A HOUSEWIFE!"

"Excellent!" Izumi praised.

"Oh no." Ed groaned, covering his eyes.

"What is it?" Al asked him.

"There's two of them!"

For the next several hours Izumi helped me practice my, "I'M A HOUSEWIFE!" shouts.


	35. Chapter 35

**Okay, I have some good news and some bad news. Bad news, since I've been working on this chapter all day I decided to forgo looking back over it cause I want to go ahead and post it. I'm sorry for any grammar mistakes.**

**Okay, onto the good news.**

**IMPORTANT:**

**I am starting a contest and the winner gets a special prize! The contest is for anyone and all you have to do to enter is write a one-shot about FMA and/or FMAB. It can be about anything. It can be funny, romantic, serious, action, it doesn't matter. Rating can be anything. You can put yourself in it, an original OC, Taylor, or even me. No crossovers, sorry. One entry per person. Try to make it at least 1000 words but your story will still be judged even if it isn't. Write your story, then either post it on your stories and send me a pm to check it out, or send me the story in a pm if you don't want to post it on your own. There will be 3 judges: Me, Taylor, and our friend Ragan. The judging is based on nothing more than what we like the best. So do your best and please participate. I've read a lot of stories you guys have wrote and you guys are really talented. The contest ends April the 1st and the winner will be posted on my profile page the day after or shortly after that. The winner of this contest gets the chance to choose any FMA/FMAB one-shot they want me to write and I'll write it for them. I think it's a little concieted of me to think that that's an awesome prize but it's the only thing I could think of. Please participate! I look forward to reading them!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 35<strong>

**Spiders and Kidnappings**

(-Ed-)

As late afternoon set in he trudged past the many trees and bushes that made up the plant life of Yoke Island. His plan was too scrounge up some wood for a fire in preparation for his dinner, which would consist of fish. For a moment, Ed longed for his brother. If Al were there he could probably simply sit in the water and fish would swim willingly into his armor, thus an east catch. Sadly, he didn't have that option. He would have to make do on his own. He had done this in the past and could do it again. Teacher had forbade alchemy, like his last visit to this island, but he still had other skills he could exploit.

That made Ed question something. How was Taylor fairing? She certainly wasn't made for the outdoors. She got winded from merely running. She probably didn't know the first thing about survival techniques.

Ed shook himself. He was _not_ going to worry about her. She obviously didn't want his help and she had been more than a little irritating lately, not to mention irrational. It was _her _decision to run off by herself. Ed would not hold himself for accountable for whatever happened to her because he was not responsible for her.

"…But I am." he said in a whisper. He grimaced, scratched his head, and upped his pace. No, he wasn't going to go there. Ed would not allow himself to feel guilty. Again, it was _her_ decision to stomp off like a child. Besides, how much trouble could Taylor get into on a tiny island?

A scream echoed in the distance, sending chills down Ed's spine. It sounded high pitched and terrified. Ed and Taylor were the only ones on the island, so that meant…

"Taylor!" Ed gasped, taking off through the forest. He left his anger for her recent behavior behind him and raced to her rescue. His mind ran just as fast as his legs, going over what could have possibly happened to make Taylor scream like that. Like he thought earlier, him and her were the only one's on the island

"Damn!" he cursed, as it clicked in his mind. They weren't the only ones on the island. How could he have forgotten? All those years ago Al and him had stayed here for a month and were terrorized nearly every day by that masked man. He should have remembered! He had found Taylor and was hurting her! He was going to kill that bastard!

Another scream pierced his ears, closer this time. The sound made him surge forward, flying through the wilderness in a blur as he let his ears lead him.

_Come on. Come on. Come on!_ he shouted inwardly. It was taking him forever to reach his destination. If Taylor had just stayed with him she wouldn't be all the way across the freaking island! After he saved her he would kick her ass for her stupidity!

He heard one more scream and slowed down considerably. It had sounded extremely close. He jogged, scanning the area vigilantly but couldn't pinpoint the origin of the shrieks.

"Taylor!" Ed shouted at maximum volume.

_THUD!_

"AH!"

"OW!"

Ed stood there, breathing raggedly and holding his chest to keep his heart from jumping out. He had just been running along, trying to find Taylor, when something big fell out of the sky and landed right in front of him, nearly scaring him out of his skin. At first he thought it to be some large animal…but animals usually don't say 'ow'.

Upon closer inspection, Ed came to a conclusion, "Taylor?"

"No, it's Santa. Merry freakin Christmas." came the sarcastic reply from the ruffled girl.

He ignored her comment, mostly because he had no idea what it meant, and barked at her, "Where the hell did you come from?"

Taylor sat up gingerly. A twinge in her back made her groan and she pointed up in answer to his question.

Ed glanced up, "The sky?"

She snorted, "No, you moron, the tree!"

He frowned at her, "What were you doing in a tree?"

She rolled her eyes, "I was building a tree house. I'm thinking about setting up a permanent residence. I always wanted my own little island."

Ed rubbed his eyes tiredly. When Taylor got grumpy she tended to become extremely sarcastic. "Just answer the question."

She sighed, "Fine. I was trying to get that fruit up there."

He glanced upward again and spotted something resembling a papaya nestled in the tree's leaves. He snickered, "I'm actually sorry I missed that."

"Missed what?"

"Climbing up a tree. That's priceless."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What are you doing here anyway? I thought I told you to stay on your side of the island."

Ed's earlier anger returned, "So that's the thanks I get for running out here to save your hide? I heard you screaming and thought that you might be in trouble! But all I find when I get here is you falling flat on your butt from a tree. I just wasted my time."

Her eyes darkened as she fumed, "I had a legitimate reason, ya know!"

"And what exactly would that reason be?"

Color flamed in her cheeks. Ed would have thought that she was blushing from rage but her avoidance of eye contact told him otherwise. She turned away from him, crossing her arms while mumbling something under her breath.

"What was that?" She mumbled inaudibly again in response. Ed cupped a hand at his ear and leaned in, "Sorry, could you run that by me again?"

Taylor spun around, clenching her hands into fists as she screamed, "There was a spider, okay! Now stop bugging me about it!"

Ed's eyes widened in disbelief. He was shocked speechless for an entire minute. It wasn't until he imagined the scenario in his mind that he snorted with laughter.

"IT'S NOT FUNNY!" she shrilled.

"Ha! Yes it is!" he laughed uncontrollably. Then he began ticking off his fingers as he listed, "You're afraid of women in labor, feet, and spiders. Are there any more strange phobias I need to know about?"

She glared at him for teasing her, "Just for your information my phobias are not something to be laughed at and are completely justified."

Attempting to stifle his chuckles, Ed said, "I can understand the first one, but feet?"

"Feet are things you walk on all day long and are sweaty, dirty, smelly, creepy, and evil."

Ed bit his lip to keep from bursting into laughter again. It was just too much. "Okay then, but what about spiders?"

"Does that one even need an explanation?"

"Yes."

"Um, they're like tiny eight legged vampires that like to _crawl_ all over you and _bite _you. Enough said."

"But most of them are harmless."

"Tell that to the spider that assaulted me!" she retorted. "Sure, I don't usually freak out over bugs but this thing was huge! It was as big as my head! I swear that thing was using that stupid piece of fruit to lure me in." She then narrowed her eyes at the fruit in question, "Look at it, sitting up there. It's taunting me."

"You're right. That spider is pretty big."

"See! I told you it wait, how do you know?"

"Cause I'm looking at it right now. Taylor, don't panic but there's a giant spider on your shoulder."

Now her glare turned back to him, "That is not funny after the traumatic experience I just went through."

The thing was…Ed was actually being serious, "Taylor, I'm not lying."

Doubt flickered through her gaze and she asked, "You're not playing some sick joke, are you?"

"No, I'm not." he spoke in a sincere tone.

"You swear?"

"I swear."

"Okay." she said plainly and turned her head slowly to the shoulder Ed had indicated. Indeed, sitting on her shoulder was the largest spider either of them had ever seen. It stretched it's long furry legs in the air as it perched on her shoulder.

As she stared at the spider, Taylor took a breath, "Okay, I believe you….AAAAAAHHHHHH!" She began running around in circles flailing her arms in the air as she shrieked, "GET IT OFF! GET IT OFF!"

Ed tried to help her out but she kept flailing about, even socking Ed in the head. "Yowch! Would you cut it out! I can't get it off if you keep running around like that!"

After many attempts to help the shrieking girl Ed successfully knocked the giant spider off of her. Then the most astonishing thing happened next. The arachnid faced them, seemed to glare at them, and _hissed_. Edward had never heard a sound like that and it unsettled him more than just a little. It arched back on it's hind legs, throwing the front ones in the air, reared its sharp fangs at them, and leaped toward them.

Taylor screamed the most girly scream Ed had ever heard, "AH! IT'S GONNA EAT ME!" She dashed off in the opposite direction of the beast and Ed hurried after her.

_Ten minutes later…_

"Did…it…follow…us?" Taylor gasped as she fought to breathe normally.

"I think…we lost it." Ed said, winded himself. They must have ran all the way to the other side of the island in their rush to escape.

"Ugh, I hate running." she grumbled. "It wears me out so much. If it comes back I am so screwed."

Ed shifted his eyes at her accusingly, "You better not be thinking of using me to distract it so you can get away if it comes back."

"Please, give me some credit." she rolled her eyes. "I already thought of that way before now."

He nearly fell over from her bluntness, "What?"

"But don't worry Ed. That plan wouldn't work anyway."

"Why not?"

"It would just ignore you and keep coming after _me_."

Ed's jaw dropped, "You mean to say that you'd get picked over me?"

She smirked, light flickering in her bright green eyes, "Hey, it's already had a taste of me once. And as they say: once you go white, nothing ain't right." Ed arched an eyebrow, causing Taylor to groan, "Oh, come on! I'm referring to my moon tan, in case you haven't noticed."

Ed gave her an appraising look, "You mean your paleness?"

A dark depression loomed over her as she banged her head against a tree, "You didn't have to be so tactless about it."

Apparently, her complexion was a touchy subject. Ed would have to remember that or later when he wanted to either avoid her anger or use it against her.

Ed sighed, "You get upset over the stupidest reasons."

Taylor responded by throwing a stick at his head, which Ed easily dodged. This infuriated her, "Just like my phobias are stupid? Correct me if I'm wrong but weren't you running away from that "harmless" spider too?"

It was true. Ed had been so freaked out that he had run away as fast as his legs would carry him. It made him feel cowardly. Running away from a spider…how pathetic. But in his defense that spider wasn't any ordinary spider. It was not natural for spiders to act like that and be so big! That thing must have been alchemized or something. It would haunt him in his dreams for sure…Still, he didn't want anyone to ever find out that the great Fullmetal Alchemist had ran away from a _spider_.

Ed scowled at her, "Never speak of it again."

"I'll do what I want." she smirked.

"What is your problem?" he yelled at her. "You've made it pretty clear that you're pissed off at me but I at least deserve to know what it's about. Now give me answers, damn it!"

Her lips pressed in a thin line as she attempted to control her anger. That only lasted for a few seconds, "My problem? My problem is what you said about me last night!"

Edward threw his hands up in frustration, "I didn't say anything last night that you should get _this_ mad about!"

"You lie!"

"No I don't!"

"You called me fat!"

He stopped and stared at her, his expression evening out, "…That's what your mad about?"

She crossed her arms and turned away from him, "You make it sound like it isn't a big deal."

"For one," Ed began, "it's not a big deal." This earned him a glare from Taylor. "For another, I never said that."

"You did too! When I fell on you."

He retraced the events of last night. He had grabbed Taylor before she could hop the fence and they had fallen together. Ed had said something and then she got severely angry and went on a rampage. But he had never said anything about her being fat.

"I said that you were heavy but I never said anything about you being fat."

"Same difference!"

Ed pulled at his hair, "See! This is what I was talking about you being over reactive! I knew all girls were but you take it to a whole new level."

"That's not "

"No." he cut her off. "You're blowing this way out of proportion. You fell on me and you're not exactly a feather but I never said you were fat either and you're obviously not. I'm not apologizing because I have nothing to be sorry about and this argument is just stupid and childish."

Taylor kept her mouth shut, stuck between confusion and fury. She kept glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, biting her lip. Ed waited impatiently for her to say something, anything. She just stood there, considering something. Finally, she wordlessly went to leave.

Ed sighed, "Where are you going now?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. Somewhere to wait for Izumi to come back."

He smirked as he thought of something, "But how are you going to survive the night by yourself?"

She answered snootily, "I was doing just fine on my own, thank you very much."

Ed laughed, "That's why you keep falling out of trees and being chased by spiders, right? I bet you haven't eaten anything since breakfast this morning. You must be pretty hungry."

She frowned and started to deny it when her stomach betrayed her. She blushed and covered her growling stomach with her hands.

Ed shook his head and let out another sigh, "Come on." He walked off in a random direction.

"What for?" she asked suspiciously.

"To get something to eat."

"…But why?"

He snorted, "Honestly, Taylor. Do you really think I'd let you starve?" He left without an answer to his question. She hesitated for a minute but then Ed could hear the reassuring sounds of her footsteps hurrying to catch up with him.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

We walked in silence for the longest time, picking up suitable pieces of wood for a fire. I didn't want to have to depend on Ed but my stomach refused to let the opportunity for food go to waste. And we all know how crazy I get when I haven't had a meal for a while.

I couldn't bring myself to be angry at Ed anymore. I had to admit…he had a point. Just thinking that made me grimace. I hate it when I'm not right but I…suppose I can…get a little over reactive sometimes. Ugh! If it was this hard thinking it there was no way I could tell Ed. And I wasn't going to. I didn't want to admit that he was right cause that would mean he had won and I had lost…I don't like losing.

But still, the silence between us was killing me. What had been tense before was now awkward. I couldn't bear to meet Ed's gaze nor could I say anything. I didn't want to talk about our fight but I also didn't want to be childish. I wanted to act like a mature adult, like Izumi. I had so much respect for her but I ruined any chance that she would respect me. I had made her mad and she had sent Ed and I to Yoke Island as punishment, much like how a mother sends her child to the corner for misbehaving. And if she came back and had the slightest bit of doubt she would leave us to rot on this island. I didn't want to stay here. But I didn't want to admit that Ed was right! Especially to him!

Once we had gathered a substantial amount of wood, we dropped it off in a pile where we planned to set up camp. Ed mumbled something about going to the lake to get some fish and he used a couple of long pieces of wood to sharpen up some spears for us to use. It shocked me that he was making me one. I understood that it should participate if I wanted my share but did he really think that I could catch a fish? Maybe he had more faith in me than I did in myself.

I shook my head but then found myself speaking, "Ed, I'm…"

He looked up as he put the final touches to the second spear. His eyes glowed curiously, "You're what?"

I swallowed. I had already begun this. I needed to finish it too. "I'm…well, I admit that I could have…handled the situation better. Sometimes I get a bit…defensive. And I let my anger get the best of me and I Hey! What the hell are you smiling at?"

He grinned at me, "You're beating around the bush. Just apologize already."

"I was not beating around the bush!" I snapped, even though I was. "And how do you know I was going to apologize? I could have been trying to say something else."

He stared at me knowingly.

"Well, I could of." I muttered. I turned my face away from him and stumbled over my words as I said, "I don't want to fight so…I want to…_apologize_…for taking things out of hand."

Ed smirked, rekindling my anger, "Now, was that so hard?"

I glared at him, "Yes, but it just goes to prove that I'm more mature of the two of us because I can admit that I'm…that I'm…"

"Wrong?" he supplied the word.

"Shut up!" I yelled, causing him to laugh.

He stood up, still chuckling, "Alright then. Let's go get us some dinner." He handed a spear to me, warning me not to poke my eye out with it.

"Really, Edward. I can hold a stick without hurting myself." I retorted. Then I marched ahead of him…only to trip and fall flat on my face.

"But apparently you can't walk without hurting yourself."

I jumped up and started chasing him with the spear.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

We reached the lake as the sun sank towards the horizon. I suddenly remembered that sharks hunted at sunset. Sure, there wouldn't be any sharks in a lake but there could be crocodiles or something. Did the same rule apply to crocodiles as it did for sharks for their hunting time preferences?

"Um, Ed? There isn't any dangerous things like crocodiles in the water, is there?"

"Crocodiles?" he asked skeptically as he chucked off his boots. "No, there aren't any in this lake….Why? Are you scared?"

"No!" I immediately said which only proved I was.

He chuckled, "Don't worry Taylor, I'll protect you from the big bad fishies."

My face heated as I felt a surge of irritation. Then the heat doubled but for a different reason. Ed was preparing to get in the water. This meant he had not only took his boots off he was taking his coat, jacket, shirt, and pants off as well. Thankfully, he left his light blue boxers on…not that I was looking.

He glanced at me, about to head into the water with his spear, "You coming or what?"

I grumbled under my breath and pushed my shoes and socks off. Luckily, I had the pants I had come to Amestris with which were a pair of khaki pants that had a zipper to take the ends off so that I could make them into shorts. Then I shrugged out of my jacket and over shirt, leaving me in a navy tank top.

I left my clothes on the beach, tied my hair into a long ponytail, and stepped into the water. With the sun setting the warmth in the water was fading fast. I shivered as the cool liquid reached my knees.

"You know, I'm probably not going to catch anything." I told Ed, who had already taken up a ready position. I didn't wander close to him, afraid I would scare his prey off.

"Never say you can't until you try."

It was such good advice that I took it. I mimicked his posture and trained my sights into the murky water. I had caught glimpses of something swimming in there though I had scared them when I had disturbed the water. If I stayed still they might return.

"If only Al were here." I said wistfully. "He could just sit in the water and the fish would swim right into him."

Ed held a laugh in his voice, "Funny, I had the same thought earlier."

"That's because Al was supposed to come to the island with you. Not me."

He might have looked at me. He might not have. I kept my focus on the water. I heard him say, "Tell me."

So I did. I described how Izumi had sent them to remember the meaning of the phrase 'all is one and one is all'. I even mentioned how Mason had been the masked man.

"That bastard!" Ed shouted. "When we get back I'm gonna break his face!"

I stifled a giggle, "Mason's a good guy, so don't kill him Ed."

"I don't know if I can keep that promise."

I looked at him and he was giving the water a death glare. It made me shake my head and smile. At least Ed knew the true identity of the masked man. I let my thoughts drift in that area, going all the way to the anime and where we were in the series.

A sudden thought made my arms droop. I put them back in place, lest Ed suspect something. What would we do if Wrath showed up before Izumi got here? Or would he show up at all? It was possible that he didn't exist. Maybe Bradley was Wrath. Did that make his son, Selim, a homunculus too? It did in Brotherhood, but this was different. This was real. And this was…complicated.

A movement in the water caught my attention. A fish swam merrily around my legs. I smiled. _Here goes nothing!_

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"It smells so good!" I moaned as I sniffed the air. Our fish cooked on sticks by the fire, four in all. Ed had caught all of them, I having failed many times at spearing any. Ed had laughed but I had never given up! That had to count for something.

"They look done." Ed commented. He picked one up and tested it. He pinched a piece off and chewed on it. "Yeah. They're done." We dug into our dinner and I had to admit that it was pretty tasty.

I finished my first one as Ed was almost done with his second. He seemed so concentrated on devouring his food. It would be the perfect time to mess with him.

"Hey Ed." I began nonchalantly.

"Hm?" he responded with his mouth full.

"Wanna make out?"

"_Orgk_!" he said as he choked on his food. His eyes were the widest I'd ever seen them and even in the dim lighting of the fire I could see his face turned red.

I cracked up, "Ahaha! You should see your face! Hahaha!"

Ed got over his choking fit and glared at me moodily, "That's not funny."

I suddenly stopped laughing and my face became somber, "I was being serious." I crawled over to him and plopped down beside him. Poor boy, he seemed rather confused.

"What are you…?" Ed trailed off, not knowing how to refer to my odd behaivior.

"Come on, Edward." I said silkily and with a playful smile. "What else are we gonna do to entertain us on an island…all by ourselves…just the two of us…under the starlight…eating by the light of a fire."

His eyebrows raised to his hairline. His mouth gaped open in astonishment, "Uuuuh…"

I cracked up again, "Hahaha! That was even funnier than the second time!"

"You enjoy torturing me, don't you?"

"Like I said, we're stuck on an island. I've got to find a way to amuse myself somehow."

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

We got through the night without trying to murder each other. I awoke strangely warm, only to find a familiar red coat laid over me. It made me smile and think, _Aw, he does care_. I told him as much when he woke up too. He blushed and mumbled something, snatching the coat back. He wouldn't look at me for a whole twenty minutes after that.

Izumi came around midday, along with Sig, Mason, and Al. When Al saw us he exclaimed, "I'm so glad you didn't kill each other!"

I laughed nervously, "Of course we didn't. But there was that one time where I chased Ed with a spear…"

"So, did the two of you learn your lesson?" Izumi asked us sternly, hands resting firmly on her hips.

Ed and I glanced at each other and looked back to her. We nodded.

"We talked it over." I assured her.

"And we came to an understanding that Taylor was wrong."

I narrowed my eyes at the cocky blonde, "I didn't exactly say that."

He just laughed it off, making me sigh.

Izumi watched us, a question in her eyes. She must have been wondering if we really were over our issues if we were arguing now. Al reassured her, saying that this was how we always acted. Izumi proclaimed that we were calmed enough to return with them.

Wrath never made an appearance. For some reason, that bothered me.

We got back to the meat shop and I called first dibs on the shower. I felt so crummy after spending all day yesterday outside and sleeping on the ground. Ed ran to the bathroom before I could get there and locked himself inside. That little prick. Was everything a contest to him.

When he came back out after his shower I slapped his head and marched in to take my turn. I took my time and washed the grime off my body thoroughly. Once satisfied, I stepped out, dried off, and put on clean clothes.

I came out of the bathroom brushing the tangles out of my wet hair. I found Izumi waiting for me in the living room.

"Where's Ed and Al?" I asked, noticing how quite it was.

She smiled pleasantly, "I sent them to pick up my medicine. They'll be back later today."

Medicine…That must mean that they had gone to Dante. Would they be alright? Greed was in Dublith, right? Would he kidnap Al? Should I warn Izumi? But then she would know I'm hiding something. I couldn't tell her. Crap!

"Tell me about your relationship with them." Izumi said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Oh…well, even though we've known each other for only about two months I've grown really close to them. They're like brothers to me. They've even been teaching me some alchemy."

She smiled at that, "I had a feeling. How about sparring with me so I can see your skills?"

"Me?" I said, flustered. "Oh no! I'm really not a fighter. I mean, I'm pretty good with alchemy but fighting and me just don't mix."

She wore a fierce expression as she stood up, "To train the mind you must train the body as well."

I grimaced. I was so not getting out of this.

Izumi and I spent the rest of the day sparing. She quickly found out that I was not exaggerating when I said I couldn't fight. She beat me a hundred times and then some. She kept flipping me or kicking me or throwing me and I'd land roughly and then she would say to get back up and try again. It was ridiculous! I would have refused to go on if I hadn't of known that she would beat me to death.

It was later on in the afternoon that something horrible happened. Izumi and I were in another sparring match and she was winning yet again. She tried using alchemy in between her attacks this time. I dodged frantically and when one earth fist shot towards me I reacted instinctively, clapping my hands and making a wall to block it. After the fist had been stopped I put the wall back down to see her standing there looking at me in shock.

"You didn't use a transmutation circle." she said numbly.

"I…" I started but stopped. I had really screwed up this time. This was bad. Really bad.

She went to speak again only to be stopped by Ed running into the yard.

"Teacher! Al's been kidnapped."

Izumi turned her attention to him. She kept glancing at me with a newfound wariness. "Tell me what happened."

Ed explained how they had been at Dante's when some thugs attacked them. Ed had been knocked out and awoke later to find Al missing. When his explanation was over Ed gave me a questioning look. I sighed, giving in.

"The Devil's Nest. It's a bar in town."

Ed nodded in thanks and began to run off. He called for Izumi who gave me a hard stare. She probably thought I had played some part in Al's kidnapping. I didn't blame her. I did look guilty.

Izumi finally came to a decision, "You two will explain this after we rescue Alphonse."

Ed and I exchanged glances and gave her stern nods. If Ed had been thinking rationally he would have asked me where Al was away from Izumi. But his brother was on the line and he was trying to get there as fast as possible.

Izumi ran off after Ed. Sig, having heard the whole thing from the open doorway, followed as well. It was unspoken but I knew I was to stay behind. It was for the best cause I wouldn't be of any help to them. But fear pulsed through my mind. They could all die there…

I forced myself to go inside to wait for them.

An hour later, the door opened. I immediately jumped up from the couch and ran to it. Izumi walked in, saw me, and ordered, "Come with me." She swept back out the door. I blinked in bewilderment but done as she said. If she was here then something must have happened to the boys. Which one would it be? Or would it be both?

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed kneeled beside his brother's bloody armor in the basement of the Devil's Nest. He was relieved that Al was safe now but they weren't out of the woods yet. They were in some major trouble. Not only was a large squad of soldiers here from the Eastern Command center, Fuhrer King Bradley was with them. The way he asked them questions…it unnerved him.

Once Bradley had gotten his answers he proceeded to his other duties. Soon after, Major Armstrong appeared and was questioning them just as harshly but about a different subject.

"Taylor?" Al gasped.

Armstrong nodded, "She was being watched over under Colonel Mustang's orders until she gave 2nd Lieutenant Havoc the slip. Mustang sent me to find her and escort her back to Central at once."

Ed guarded his expression, "What makes you think she's with us? We parted ways in Central. You know that." These technically weren't lies. Though, Ed would lie if that's what it took to protect Taylor.

"You boys became friends while you were guarding her. It's only logical that she would seek you out."

Ed closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry Major, but we haven't seen her."

"I would like to take your word for it. However, I must be absolutely sure. Please take me to where you've been staying in Dublith."

Ed frowned, not liking this one bit, "It's our Teacher's house so you'll have to ask her."

Armstrong nodded and turned to Izumi who stood off to the side with her husband. "Mrs. Curtis?" Armstrong inquired.

Her face displayed animosity, "I will not tolerate dogs of the military in my house."

"With all due respect Madam, Edward is a State Alchemist as well. And even if you refuse I will still be forced to search your property." His eyes softened then, "This would go more smoothly if you cooperated."

Izumi wanted to argue and fight, that much was obvious. But she was in no condition, not after her fight with the homunculus known as Greed. It had completely exhausted her and her students. And with practically the whole military in Dublith she was severely outnumbered. She couldn't fight this one.

"Fine." she consented. "But I will take you there and I am not letting you out of my sights."

Armstrong bowed his head, "Very well."

Izumi, Ed, Al, and Sig were escorted back to the Curtis residence by Major Armstrong. Ed wanted to do something but he couldn't think of a way out of this one.

They went inside the house and Ed stayed tense during the search. As Armstrong continued to search each room Ed's gut twisted tighter and tighter, expecting Taylor to be caught at any moment. When Armstrong had searched every room from top to bottom, Ed found relief as well as confusion. It was good that Taylor hadn't been found but that begged the question. Where was she?

Armstrong bowed politely to Izumi, "I'm sorry to have bothered you. Have a good night." He left after that, no one telling him bye in return. When Armstrong had left the premises, Ed breathed a sighed of relief.

"That was to close." he said.

"But where is she?" Al asked.

A knock at the door drew their attention. Without waiting for an answer, Mason entered the house. "There you guys are. I saw you leave in a hurry earlier. Is everything alright?"

"We ran into a bit of trouble but everything's okay now." Al told him.

"Not everything." Ed corrected him. "Mason, have you seen Taylor around?"

Mason looked at him confused, "Isn't she with you?"

"No, she stayed behind here."

"But I saw Izumi come back earlier and get her."

At this, everyone turned to Izumi who seemed just as surprised, "I haven't come back here since I left with Edward. He can tell you so himself."

Mason scratched his head, "Either you have a twin Izumi or I must be seeing things."

"A twin?" Al said, looking down at his brother.

Realization dawned in Ed, "Envy."

* * *

><p><strong>DUN DUN DUUUUUN! Two kidnappings in one chapter. Mwahaha! I absoltely can't wait for the next chapter! I have been waiting to write it for foever! It's gonna be EPIC!<strong>

**Now, enjoy this omake of Taylor walking around on her own at Yoke Island. Inspired by DoctorWhoaliaandtheOlympians.**

* * *

><p><strong>OMAKE<strong>

I was walking in the forest of the island when I spotted something floating up in the air. Curious, I glanced at it as he descended. I reached my palms upward and it fell gracefully into my hands.

Hanging onto a little parachute was a small box. I furrowed my eyebrows, wondering what the heck was going on. Why were there things falling from the sky? It almost seemed like someone was sending me a gift…Almost like I was a tribute in the hunger games and my sponsor and sent me something.

I shrugged and opened the box. Inside was the most glorious thing. "BROWNIES!" I looked up at the cloudy sky, "If I knew that Amestris rained brownies I would have come here sooner."

Yeah, somewhere inside me I knew that it wasn't really raining brownies. But it was easier to believe that then my crazy hunger games idea.

I set aside my worries and dug into my brownies.

* * *

><p><strong>If only she knew...hee hee<strong>


	36. Chapter 36

**Ugh, so tired. Brain is mush. I had a long week but have worked for the last four hours to get this chapter out early. I hope you guys appreciate it!**

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**...Is it just me or do these chapters just keep getting longer and longer?**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 36<strong>

**The chapter after thirty five**

(-Ed-)

He paced back and forth, back and forth. His muscles wouldn't relax, yearning to be in action as they were. He clenched and unclenched his hands over and over again. He needed out of there. He needed to be _doing_ something.

"Edward. Calm yourself." Izumi ordered.

He glared at her and snapped, "How do you expect me to be calm when I know Taylor's been kidnapped! We should be out there looking for her! Not sitting here while she gets hurt or worse!"

Her eyes narrowed slightly, the only reaction she showed to his frustrated yelling, "First of all, you don't have any idea where Taylor has been taken. Secondly, rushing into things would be reckless. You need to compose yourself and think rationally."

"She's right Brother." Al told him soothingly.

Ed averted his eyes and gazed down at his tightened metal fist, "They could be doing anything to her right now."

"That's why we need to come up with a plan."

Ed looked at Al for the longest time. He sighed and sank into a chair at the table the others were sitting at.

"Now," Izumi began firmly, "this Envy you were talking about, he is a homunculus just like the one who called himself Greed, correct?"

Al nodded, "Greed didn't seem to be working with the others, but the other Homunculi definitely want something from Taylor. They called her a sacrifice."

"They've called me one too." Ed commented.

Izumi's eyes grew dark, "What do they mean by 'sacrifice'?"

"We're not sure. All we know is that they want to create a Philosopher's Stone. But since they can't perform alchemy they manipulate others to create it for them."

"The stone?" Izumi arched a fine brow. "That's absurd."

"It's true." Al affirmed. "They want to use alchemists to create one for them, sacrificing numerous human lives in the process."

The words sank into Izumi slowly, "…Is this what they want Taylor for?"

Ed shook his head, "Taylor can use alchemy but she's still learning. She would never be able to pull off a transmutation like that…I wouldn't think." Doubt weighed in his mind due to the fact that Taylor had come from the other side of the gate. She had also exhibited advanced transmutations, even healing herself with no circle whatsoever. It may be possible…

"This girl…" Izumi paused, catching Ed's attention, "Who is she really? She's not just a friend you met back in your hometown."

"Well, she is our friend." Al defended her.

"There's more to it than that. Tell me everything."

Ed didn't want to expose Taylor's secret. For one, most people wouldn't believe it anyway. For another, if they did believe it they might take advantage of her. But this was his teacher who was asking him. She already knew something was amiss and wouldn't stop until she got her answers. And besides, Ed trusted her.

"Teacher…Taylor's seen the truth."

Izumi nodded once, having figured this part out already.

Ed took a deep breath, "But she never performed human transmutation." Izumi's eyes widened. Before she could say anything Ed went on, "She's seen the truth because she passed through the gate. Taylor…she's from the _other side_."

"Impossible." Izumi said breathily in shock.

"Homunculi are supposed to be impossible too and yet, they exist." Al pointed out.

"And it's the only explanation for why she knows so much about us. She says that from her side that Amestris and all the people in it are from a story she's read. She knows about all of us and everything that's going to happen. Alchemy's just a myth on her side, but she found a transmutation circle and somehow activated it and was sent through the gate. When she arrived here the Homunculi showed an interest in her and I was ordered to guard her. There's also a counterbalance put in place for her being here, someone who tries to keep her from interfering with the fate of this world. We've seen him and he's strong."

After Ed's lengthy explanation Izumi remained quiet for several long minutes and stared at the two of them.

Ed became fidgety and asked, "Teacher?"

"Do you believe this?" Izumi finally asked.

The brothers glanced at each other and nodded in answer.

"She's given us every reason to." Al said.

"And we trust her." said Ed.

Izumi let out a long breath, "Then I believe it as well."

"You do?" they asked in surprise.

She nodded, "I do. And from what you've told me it makes finding her even more urgent."

"Why's that?" Al asked.

"She knows the future. That knowledge is very powerful and if in the wrong hands it can become very destructive."

Ed tightened his fist, "Like the Homunculi."

"Yes. If they were to discover this there's no telling how terrible the outcome will be."

"But how are we going to find her? They could have taken her anywhere." Al said.

"You two have had more encounters with them than I have. You know them better. Where do you think they'll take her?"

Ed frowned as he considered, "Well, if I were them I'd take her out of Dublith. They have to know that Al and I would go after her. Unless, the reason they took her is here in town."

"And they might have kidnapped her to use her as bait for us." Al suggested.

"You're right."

"If they took her out of Dublith then the fastest transportation would be a train." Izumi stated. "We should go there and see what trains have run today."

"Sounds like a good spot to start." Ed agreed. They readied themselves and left for the station. They avoided going anywhere near the Devil's Nest, not wanting to run into any military personnel.

The train station did not hold any waiting travelers at that late hour. It would have been completely empty had it not been the worker at the ticket booth. The young man had his eyes half closed, about to fall asleep at any second. He perked up when Ed, Al, and Izumi approached them.

"What can I do for you?" the guy asked, looking relieved to have something to distract him from his boring job.

Ed immediately went into interrogation mode, "What trains were running for the past two hours?"

"Oh, the only train that's left this afternoon was the one heading for Central. Of course, it's set to stop at Rush Valley on the way there."

"Are you sure those are the only places?"

"Positive…hey, is that you Miss Izumi?"

Izumi, who had been standing quietly in the background, stepped forward. "Allen, right? I haven't seen you for a couple of years."

He smiled, "I just moved back from East City. So, you didn't take the train after all?"

"Why would I " she cut off abruptly as she comprehended what he meant. "Are you saying that I came by here earlier?"

Confused, Allen's smile wilted, "Yeah, you bought a ticket for the train heading to Central. You were with that girl with the purple streaks in her hair. You don't remember?"

Ed stifled a gasp. So their hunch had been right.

Izumi laughed in fake embarrassment, "That's right! It just slipped my mind for a moment there. Thank you for reminding me."

"No…problem." Allen said weakly. He didn't believe her for a second but knew it wasn't his business.

The three stepped out of Allen's hearing range and huddled in a group to speak in hushed whispers.

"This confirms it." Izumi said.

"So are we going to Central?" Al asked.

"They might have gone to Rush Valley…" said Ed

"Check out Rush Valley and then check out Central?" Al guessed.

"No, that would take too long. It would be better if we split up. We'll take the next train heading back north. I'll stop in Rush Valley and you go ahead to Central."

"But Brother! You're arm's all banged up. Are you sure you can handle it on your own?"

Ed smiled wryly, "Why do you think I suggested _I _be the one to go to Rush Valley? It's more likely that they took Taylor to Central. And even if they did go to Rush Valley Winry's there. She can fix my…"

Izumi noticed his pause and asked, "Edward?"

Sweat began pouring down Ed's face, "Winry's going to kill me for trashing my automail again."

"Not to mention that we let Taylor get kidnapped." Al said. Then he said in a cheery voice, "Well, good luck in Rush Valley, Brother!"

"Gee, thanks." Ed muttered sarcastically. Then he turned to Izumi, "Teacher, while we're gone "

"I'll be here if they come back." Izumi interrupted him, guessing what he would have said.

Ed gave her a smile and went back to the booth to ask Allen when the next train was heading North would be due.

He checked a schedule and his watch, "Should be in about fifteen minutes."

"Alright, give me two tickets."

* * *

><p>(-Envy-)<p>

He eyed the limp frame of the girl with contempt. The homunculus wanted to wrap his hands around her exposed neck and strangle the life out of her. He wanted to see the terror in her eyes as she begged for mercy. He wanted to see her _agony_. He hadn't forgotten the last time he had encountered her. Because of her he had failed his mission to kill that meddling Lieutenant Colonel. He still lived because this stupid girl had interfered. The only bright side was that the Lt. Colonel had went into a coma. Still, it did not satisfy Envy. He wanted to hurt this girl severely for the trouble she had caused. However, it would not be allowed.

Envy grumbled to himself and lifted the unconscious girl in his arms. He would have simply thrown her over his shoulder if it wouldn't have looked conspicuous. He exited the train they had ridden, the conductor giving him a curious glance at the girl in his arms.

Envy pasted a fake smile on his face and spoke in the tone of the woman he had taken the form of, "She fell asleep on the way here and I didn't want to wake her up."

"Do you need any help, Lady?" the man asked genially.

Envy shook his head, "That's quite alright. I'm stronger than I look." He gave the guy one last sickeningly sweet smile and carried his burden away out into the streets. Despite it being close to midnight plenty of pedestrians loitered around. Envy aimed towards the less traveled paths as he went on his destination.

What had started all of this was that damn stranger, the one who had beaten the shit out of three of the Homunculi and not even broken a sweat. He had proposed a plan to them, a plan that would accomplish both of their needs somehow. All they had to do was kidnap the girl traveling with the Elric brothers and bring her back here. Once there, it would lure the brothers to them. Envy didn't doubt for a second that they had figured out who had taken their little friend and they would come here eventually. Then Envy could use the girl to persuade them to comply. Envy grinned his sharp teeth at the image of those boys' faces when Envy used this girl.

Envy, although puzzled, wasn't too concerned with the swordsman. He would have liked to know what he got out of this. Not to mention how exactly he had found the Homunculi in the first place and knew what they were after. He had to admit though, it was smart using the girl as bait. Envy would have those alchemists dancing in the palm of his hand. That would be very good indeed. But still, Envy couldn't shake the peculiar feeling about the stranger. He had said he would be watching from the sidelines to see the outcome. What was he watching for? What did he want? Envy wanted the answers to his questions but Sloth had kept him quiet for the most part during the exchange yesterday. When everything had been settled, the guy left, Sloth took Wrath to the Master, and Envy had went back to Dublith. Envy had waited in the shadows for the right time to strike. When the others had left the girl alone he had taken the opportunity. He had deceived her entirely by using the guise of the pipsqueak's teacher and she had been fooled all the way to the train station. But halfway into the ride she had gotten persistent. She had gotten suspicious and demanded what was going on and where they were going and blah, blah, blah. The brat would not shut up so Envy had to finally make her shut up, which resulted in her current state.

Envy reached his destination, a dilapidated building off in the warehouse district. There were no pesky humans in the area so Envy reverted to his usual form. Then he went inside.

The interior of the building resembled a maze. There were countless halls leading to one room after another. The walls were made of rotted wood and the roof needed to be replaced years ago, holes spreading across the tall ceiling that revealed the starry night sky. And if you didn't watch your step your foot would find a weak spot in the floor and break through.

Envy slunk down the corridors with ease, having memorized the layout of the place beforehand. He located the room he was going to and entered.

"Hello, Envy." Lust's alluring voice called out. "I see it went well."

Envy smirked at the female homunculus, "It was too easy."

"Can I eat her?" Gluttony asked from beside Lust, having noticed the girl already.

Lust patted his head, "Not this one, Gluttony. We need her."

Gluttony pouted, a finger stuck in his mouth as he continued to stare dumbly at the human.

Envy dropped the girl on the floor carelessly and turned to the other two, "Has everything been set up?"

Lust curved her full lips up as she turned to face the center of the large room filled with glass columns, "Yes. Tucker has everything in order."

The man who she had referred to peeked out from one of the columns at hearing his name. Well, _man_ would be inaccurate. After an experiment went wrong he had transformed himself into a chimera. "I did everything you asked me to," he whispered anxiously.

Envy grinned darkly as he gazed at the room. The floor had a giant array painted across the tile, both black and red. At each point of the circle a glass column of red water sat positioned. And directly above this room on the second floor were the rest of the ingredients: live humans taken from the town. All the perfect makings for a Philosopher's Stone.

"Now with this sacrifice we can convince Fullmetal to do whatever we want." Lust smiled. "This should be fun."

"Did you find out anything about the sword guy?" Envy asked

She shook her head, her black wavy hair bouncing around her naked shoulders, "No. We couldn't uncover anything about the man you described to us. I suppose Sloth is informing the Master?"

"Yeah. Maybe they'll come up with something. I don't like being in the dark."

"I can't believe you were defeated by an ordinary human. What is it with humans getting the best of you these days?"

Envy growled at her, "They're not! There was something influencing that guy. He used alchemy but…Arg! I don't know!" He scratched his head in irritation.

Lust crossed her arms and pondered this, "Do you think he could be a candidate for sacrifice?"

"I don't think so…This guy, I don't even think he was human." He couldn't have been. A regular human _couldn't_ have bested him in a fight. There was just no way. And that could explain how he knew things about them. He knew what they were planning. Envy and the rest of them would have initiated this scheme eventually but they were waiting for the right time. The swordsman simply told him that it would be better if they proceeded with it ahead of schedule. They didn't know why he wanted them to or what he would gain from this but they really had no choice in the matter. Which Envy hated. He wanted to kill that swordsman more than he wanted to kill this bratty girl.

"This is a puzzling predicament," Lust frowned, not liking it. "He could be after the stone…"

"And he'll try to take it after we've made it." Envy finished the thought for her. "But that's doubtful, seeing as how powerful he already is."

"But it's the only explanation."

"Unless he wants this girl dead for some reason."

Lust glanced at the sacrifice laying on the ground, "If he's as strong as you say then why not kill her himself?"

"Beats me," Envy shrugged. Then he strolled off to the exit, "I'll make sure our other guests arrive soon."

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Are you sure about this, Brother?" Al asked worriedly.

Ed gave him a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine."

Al sighed but didn't push any further. "Just be sure to visit Winry first. I don't want you fighting with your automail in the condition it's in."

Ed laughed nervously, flexing his right hand, "It's not that bad. Maybe I don't have to see Winry after all."

Al glared at him, "Oh no, Ed. You're not getting out of this. As I recall, this was your idea. And I'm not letting you go by yourself unless you promise me that you'll get your arm fixed first thing."

"Alright, alright! I promise. Jeesh, Al." Ed grabbed his suitcase, "You be careful too." Then he got off the train. He waved at his brother as the train started up again and departed for Central.

Ed left the station and joined the Rush Valley night crowd. He had called beforehand at the station in Dublith to tell Winry that he was coming. The things she had said to him made Ed shiver in fear. And that was only when he had told her about his automail. He hadn't had the guts to tell her about Taylor missing. Most certainly she would kill him for not taking care of her.

He stopped in front of the store she had told him she was staying at. Ed stared up at the sign that read, "Garfiel's". This was it. This was where he would face his doom.

Ed sucked in a breath and went inside. Immediately, a wrench hurtled towards him and smashed into his face.

"YOU IDIOT!"

_Five minutes later…_

"Why do you have to always break my babies?" Winry cried at the sight of the damaged automail. "Have you been getting into fights again?"

Ed stammered, "Uuuh, no! I, uh, fell down. Yeah! I fell down a big flight of stairs."

Winry crossed her arms and gave him a look, "A flight of stairs would not break it this much."

"…I fell out a window too?"

_THONK!_

"OW!" Ed whined, rubbing a new sore spot on his head. "Can you stop hitting me and patch it up already? I've got places to be ya know."

With hands on her hips she demanded, "What places? Are you going to get into more trouble? I'm not going to fix your automail just so you can break it again."

"I'm not getting into trouble. I just…have some things to do."

"Things that you can't even tell me about? And why didn't Al and Taylor come with you?"

Ed flinched, "Uh, they're just busy."

Her angered expression transformed into a sorrowful look as she bowed her head and muttered, "Yeah, busy. You guys never tell me anything."

Damn. Winry was sad and it was all Ed's fault. It made him feel so guilty when he kept her out of the loop, even if it was for her own good. She looked about five seconds away from crying and Ed could not handle that. He had to tell her something.

"It's…Taylor."

Winry glanced up at him with wide eyes, "What about her?"

"Winry she's…" Ed had to swallow and try again, "She's missing."

Her legs gave out on her. Good thing a chair sat right behind her. She sunk into it and stared at Ed in disbelief, "But she was with you guys."

Ed nodded, making his voice gentle, "Some stuff came up and we left for awhile. Taylor stayed behind at Teacher's house. When we came back she was gone."

"Did she leave on her own?"

He shook his head slowly, "No. Someone took her."

A fire flared in her deep blue eyes as she jumped up and screamed, "Tell me who and where they are so I can go kick their ass!"

Wow. Winry and Taylor had become closer friends than he had thought. "It's alright Winry. Al and I are already on it. That's why I need you to fix my arm as quick as possible so I can look for her."

Her strong façade faded as concern set in, "Do you know who took her?"

"Yes. You remember how Al and I were guarding her? Well, the people who kidnapped her are the same ones we were guarding her from."

"What do they want from her?"

"I have no idea. But if they've even scratched her I'll make them regret it."

She tried to smile, "So you're gonna get her back, right? You'll make sure she's safe?"

Ed looked into her solemn gaze and nodded, "Of course. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good, cause I don't want to lose anymore of the people I care about."

Ed knew she was referring to her parents. He nudged her elbow to get her to look at him, "I'm going to bring her back. I promise."

As Winry began working on his arm she said, "You better. And I want to see all three of you come back safe and sound. And no busted automail!"

Ed sighed, "Yes ma'am."

Winry spent the next half hour repairing the worst of the damage. It would take a lot more fixing later but Ed was anxious to get searching for Taylor. Winry didn't want him heading into danger, especially with a busted arm. She didn't want Taylor with her captors either. So she forced herself to compromise. While Winry worked on getting some parts to replace the damaged ones in Ed's automail he would go out and look for their friend. Winry told him sternly to come back in a couple of hours so she could finish repairing his arm.

Ed hit the town, despite having no clue where to start. He didn't really expect to find the Homunculi or Taylor here. It would make more sense for them to go to Central. But on the off chance that they were here Ed had to be certain.

He stumbled as someone bumped into him. Ed's reaction was instantaneous, "Hey! Watch where you're…wait…"

The girl that had bumped into him had long reddish-brown hair with purple streaks. Ed would know that hairstyle anywhere.

When she turned around Ed gasped, "Taylor!"

She smiled at him, her eyes flashing violet for a moment. Then she took off down the street.

Ed's fists clenched. No, that wasn't Taylor. It was Envy. And he was wearing her face! When Ed got his hands on him he was going to pummel him.

He dashed after Envy. So they weren't in Central after all. They were here, in Rush Valley. Ed had found them way too easily. This was a trap. But it was also his only lead and he wasn't going to let it slip away.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Everything seemed so fuzzy. I was slowly drifting awake but I fought it. I didn't want to wake up. I was too dang tired. I wanted to stay asleep but the bed I was lying on felt so hard…

_That's weird. Last time I checked I was on a train… And when did I fall asleep? And where is Izumi?_

_Izumi!_ my mind screamed. The memory of her glaring at me like she wanted to kill me flashed before me. Also, the swift hit that had rendered me unconscious. She had knocked me out, but why would she do that?

I was about half a second from opening my eyes when I heard someone else in the room with me. I kept my eyes firmly shut and my breaths deep and long. Wherever I was I instinctively knew I was not among friends. I needed to assess my surroundings before they realized I was

"You can open your eyes. I know you're awake." a female voice told me that sounded awfully familiar.

Great. There went plan A.

I peeked out at the world and found out why the bed was so hard. It wasn't a bed. I had been sleeping on a dirty tile floor. A red haze of light settled in the room. I couldn't comprehend what I was looking at around me but one thing stuck out. Lust and Gluttony stood before me.

I sat up slowly, as if quick movements would cause them to react. Lust eyed me curiously. Gluttony just looked at me hungrily…which was a scary thought.

"Envy brought me here, didn't he?" I guessed as the pieces clicked together.

Lust smiled at me mockingly, "You're a smart little sacrifice, aren't you?"

Sacrifice… Did that mean they were working for Father? Sacrifices were only mentioned in Brotherhood. But I saw Sloth. Without a doubt she was the homunculus of Trisha Elric. It didn't fit though. How could this be? What was I missing?

I'm not sure why they had brought me here or where I was but I had lived with these questions long enough. I wanted some answers.

"Who are you working for?" I asked.

She crossed her arms, "Who says we're working for anyone?"

"But you've got to be. Is it Father?" No reaction to that. She just stared at me with a slightly puzzled expression. "Or is it Dante?"

Lust lost her smile, "How do you know about the Master?"

So that was it? Dante was the leader here. That probably meant that the Homunculi were created by human transmutation and not born from Father. It didn't even sound like Father existed. Then why did they need sacrifices? Oh yeah, she asked me a question. But what should I say? I couldn't tell her the truth. That would have horrible consequences.

"Uuuuh…" I said dumbly.

Suddenly, one of Lust's spear-like fingers shot out towards me. It stopped a centimeter away from impaling my neck. My whole body froze and my heart leapt into my throat.

"I'm waiting." Lust said impatiently. Obviously, she wanted answers. I couldn't give them to her. But I had to say something.

"Why did you call me a sacrifice?" I blurted.

She frowned thoughtfully. I could tell she still wanted an answer to her question but my own question had distracted her.

"Can I eat her now?" Gluttony whined. That one question terrified me to no end.

"Of course not, Gluttony." she sighed wearily.

"But she smells so good." he said and sniffed the air.

"That doesn't matter. What does matter is that she's a sacrifice…and one that seems to know a thing or two about us. You wouldn't happen to know about a certain man with a sword, would you?"

My mind went blank. Sword? Was she talking about King Bradley? Ummmm, Ling? Was Ling even real here? Oh! She must be talking about Fate!

"If you're talking about the sword guy that calls himself 'Fate' and tries to kill me in his spare time then yeah, we've met."

Lust's brows rose "My, why would he do that? Did you do something to make him angry?"

I shook my head, "Not really. He's just made it his mission in life to make things difficult for me. I think he needs a new hobby." I tried to cover my nervousness with a couple of jokes. It wasn't working. I was still so scared that my hands were shaking. And I kept wondering how the Homunculi knew about Fate.

Lust laughed lightly, "Sounds like you don't like him very much. Or vice versa. What can you tell me about him?"

"Nothing really." It technically wasn't a lie. I didn't have much info on Fate but I did know that he worked for Truth. I wasn't going to tell her that though, lest she somehow connect that with me being from the other side.

Lust pondered this for a minute, making me bite my lip anxiously. "I don't believe you."

My hands clutched at the fabric of my jacket. This was bad. Really bad. I needed to get out of here but there was no way I could get past one homunculus, let alone _two_! Despite this, my eyes sought an exit. There was a door but it was across the room and I wouldn't be able to make it past my captors. There was plenty of open space in the room, save for the glowing red columns, but I couldn't run fast enough to escape… Wait, red columns?

I looked again. There were red columns spread out in a wide circle. Red liquid filled the glass cases. On the floor a black and red transmutation circle spread out in an intricate design. This place reminded me of the fifth laboratory from the first series of FMA.

I was startled to realize that that was exactly what this was. We may not be in the fifth laboratory in Central but this set up matched the scene perfectly.

"You're trying to make a Philosopher's Stone." I breathed. But what did that have to do with me? They didn't think I could make it for them, could they? Or maybe I was bait for Ed and Al? They could most certainly make it. But they wouldn't…Unless perhaps… the Homunculi would kill me if they didn't. That had to be it! Man, that's just plain evil!

Lust paused and glanced over her shoulder to see what I was looking at. Surprisingly, I spotted Shou Tucker as a chimera hiding behind one of the columns.

"You're a better alchemist than I would have thought." Lust commented as she turned back to me. She thought that I had recognized the setup because I was experienced in alchemy when, in fact, I was an amateur at best… But I'd just let her think I was an alchemy wiz kid.

She looked at me appraisingly, "That makes for a good sacrifice. Someone who has seen the truth and doesn't need circles to perform alchemy. Those make for the best candidates for alchemists who are the most likely to create the Philosopher's Stone."

I understood that she was explaining to me what a sacrifice was. So it was simpler than I had imagined. They called the Elrics sacrifices because they've seen the gate and have a real chance of making the stone. They figured out that I had seen the gate too but they didn't know how…yet.

"Now, I've explained something to you. It's your turn to tell me something. Equivalent exchange, isn't that the way of the alchemist?"

The door opened and I walked in. That's right. _I_. I was looking at myself. How did I get over there?

The other me smiled and shifted into Envy. Duh, I should of known.

"Well?" Lust asked him.

"It's done."

"Good." Lust said.

I would have wondered what they were talking about but I was too concerned with the way Gluttony was staring at me. And inching towards me. I leaned backwards and scooted back an inch but that only encouraged him.

Lust glanced over to see what Gluttony was doing. She comprehended the insane gleam in his round eyes and reached a hand out to stop him, "Gluttony! No!"

Too late. Gluttony jumped at me in the blink of an eye, his mouth latching onto my shoulder. A scream ripped past my lips as pain flared like fire down my arm. Then, I heard a grotesque _CRACK!_ and followed by waves of agony. Black dots ran across my vision and the sound of my screams drifted in and out of my hearing.

Lust and Envy must have pulled Gluttony off of me because there was empty space where he once was. I glanced down to my right. My stomach dropped and was in danger of puking. My entire arm had been bitten off. Only ragged chunks at the shoulder remained. Blood poured out of the wound with every beat of my heart. The pain was still there but my screaming had stopped. I think I was in shock.

"You moron! Now she's probably going to die!" Envy shouted. He didn't care about me dying personally but that my use would be gone.

Gluttony licked his lips, having eaten all of my arm, "She tastes like the stone."

"…What did you just say?" Lust asked in alarm.

"She tastes just like the stone. Let me have more. Please?" Gluttony begged, looking at me longingly.

They talked some more but I couldn't grasp what they were saying. _My arm is missing. My _**arm**_ is _**missing**_! Oh, God. Oh God, help me. I don't want to die here. Why is this happening to me? Oh, it hurts so much. I want it to stop. I want it to stop. Stop. Stop! STOP!_

With the little bit of energy I could muster I used all my concentration to will the power of my blood to stop the pain. To heal. It took a few seconds, this being only the third time to use this ability consciously. Soon, the red crackling energy ignited around my shoulder. The pain intensified during the process. I gritted my teeth and cried but kept going. I had been simply aiming for healing but with my stone's power a whole new arm grew back. When it was done the pain was gone along with my energy.

The Homunculi had grown silent during my regeneration. They were completely shocked at what they had just witnessed.

"How…" Lust trailed off.

I didn't answer her. I touched the blood on the floor and willed the floor to move. It did, spiking up to stab her chest.

She gasped and blood ran out of her mouth. It didn't faze her much. She lifted her head and smirked at me, "You'll find that I don't die so easily." She swiped at the spike with elongated fingers, making it crumble. Lust stood up straight and I could see into the hole in her chest.

I gasped, "The stone!"

She smiled at me as the edges of her wound lit up with bright red sparks. Within the hole a different red light shined out as I caught sight of the stone. "The Philosopher's Stone is my core."

"Then why do you want to create one?" I asked in bewilderment.

"Stones in Homunculi can only be used by them. It's our life force. The Master can't use ours so we're making one." Envy explained, looking bored.

"But why? Why do you guys need the stone?"

"To become human." Lust said, a wistful tone in her voice.

"You don't honestly believe she'll make you human, do you? She only wants it for herself. She's using you guys to accomplish her goals."

Lust's gaze became grave, "Enough. The only thing I want you to tell me is how you were able to regenerate."

I sealed my lips shut and stared at them cautiously. I would not tell them anything. I would sit here in silence no matter what. Maybe I'd get lucky and pass out. To say I was tired would be an understatement.

Her beautiful face sneered, "You're a stubborn one. I guess we'll have to force you to talk."

"I've got an idea." Envy said with a sadistic grin. "Gluttony, eat her other arm and see if that one grows back too."

Gluttony leered at me, his mouth watering in anticipation. This time, neither Envy nor Lust made a move to stop the hungry homunculus.

* * *

><p>(-Lust-)<p>

She watched the girl scream out her pain as Gluttony devoured her left arm. He wanted to eat more but Lust commanded him to wait for a response from the girl. She laid limply on the floor, tears streaming down her face. Her clothes and body were covered in her own blood and more of the red liquid continued to seep out. It took longer this time but the red crackling energy returned and regenerated her arm, not unlike when a homunculus heals an injury. It was a very peculiar ability indeed.

"Amazing." Tucker whispered, having come closer to watch the spectacle.

Lust paid him no mind and questioned the sacrifice, "How are you able to do that?" Again, the girl did not answer. The pain, fear, and exhaustion showed in her eyes but she stuck to her stubbornness.

"This is fun. Again." Envy ordered Gluttony. Gluttony gladly stepped forward to consume another limb.

The girl weakly sat up, barely keeping herself in an upright position. She leaned on both hands as her arms wobbled. She looked to be preparing for the next attack.

Sparks flashed and the ground shot up in a series of spikes. Lust and Envy jumped out of the way to avoid being hit. Gluttony's head was impaled, as was Tucker's stomach. Tucker slumped over, dead. One of the spikes shot so far out that it shattered one of the columns of red water. The substance rushed out in a waterfall and drenched Tucker's body and landed on the girl. The girl reacted to its contact immediately. She seemed to almost float to a standing position as energy cracked around her.

Gluttony, who had fully recovered, asked, "What's happening?"

"She's reacting to the red water." Lust explained, dodging another spike. The girl exuded so much raw power that it continued to affect the area around her. "The red water may not be a completed Philosopher's Stone but with this much of it the girl has the power of a god."

The building shook, pieces of the ceiling falling down. The girl continued to lash out at them. She didn't look aware of her actions. Nonetheless, she was giving the Homunculi hell.

"We need to get out of here." Lust told the others.

"What?" Envy exclaimed, nearly getting crushed by a wave of earth.

"This is causing too much noise. We need to leave before the townspeople arrive."

Envy frowned, not wanting to call it quits. He surrendered after getting tossed into a wall. "Fine." he ground out.

"Come, Gluttony." Lust called out. He loyally obeyed her and they fled the area.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

He had trailed Envy to a rundown warehouse. Ed didn't hesitate. He went in and kept going. The inside was like a maze. The building was so huge and he had no idea where he was going. He had lost sight of Envy before entering this place. But he had to be here somewhere.

Ed wasn't sure how much time had passed but he later heard screaming. He followed the sounds, his heart racing as he thought of who it could be. The closer he got the more familiar the screams were. Then they cut off all together.

Ed stopped and looked around. He checked room after room and came up with nothing.

"Damn it! Where are you!" Ed shouted as loud as he could. That's when the screaming started up again.

He frantically rushed about, searching desperately for her. It felt like an eternity had passed since he had heard the first scream. As every second ticked by he feared what they could be doing to her. From the sounds of it, it couldn't be anything less than torturing.

"Damn it!" he cursed again. He had to get to her. He had to be there for her. He had to protect her!

He slowed momentarily when the building began to shake. He picked up his pace again, hoping that he was closer. He opened more doors. So many doors. So many empty rooms…

He opened one door and found a large room. He squinted at a bright light in the center of the room. No… Not a light. It was _her_. The light was coming _from_ her, making her glow. She stood in a sea of red water as energy swirled around her.

"Taylor!" Ed yelled at her. She didn't respond to his voice. Didn't even hear it. She stood there and let the energy surround her.

Ed stepped forward. Then took another step. He pressed forward as the wind she created threatened to blow him away. An object flew in his direction and Ed ducked, narrowly missing it. His eyes caught sight of a limp body on the floor. Ed wasn't sure what he was looking at but he was pretty sure it wasn't human and he was certain it wasn't alive.

He looked back to Taylor, shouting to her again.

_Just a little further,_ Ed thought. He reached out and gripped one of her shoulders, then the other. Then he wrapped her in his arms and held her close.

"You're safe now." Ed spoke to her softly, squeezing her tight.

The glow from her body dissipated as she closed her eyes and sank into his embrace.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes! I finally finished this chapter! I've been waiting to write it for months now. And I'm thinking the next chapter is going to be just as fun to write.<strong>

**See ya next week!**

**Ragan: Unless there's an unfortunate accident.**

**LeFay: Ragan? What are you doing here? And what do you mean by...unfortunate accident?**

**Ragan: I'm here bcause I'm one of the judges for the contest. And as for your last question I'll show you what I mean. *inches closer to LeFay***

**LeFay: Ummm, Ragan? Where's Taylor?**

**Ragan: *grins evilly* You'll find out soon.**

**LeFay: *eyes wide* Ragan, I knew you were sadistic but you're not really gonna...?**

**Ragan: Oh yeah...**

_**Ten minutes later...**_

**Ragan: *turns to readers* I'm sorry to inform everyone but LeFay and Taylor have recently died in a horrible car accident. From now on I will be writting this story.**


	37. Chapter 37

**Hello my kitties! I am back from the dead! I'd like to thank AnimeVamp1997 for bringing me back to life. And I-**

**Ghost Taylor: Hey! What about me?**

**LeFay: What about you?**

**Ghost Taylor: I'm still dead! And you never even thanked me for editing this chapter.**

**LeFay: Oh! Right, sorry. *uses authoress powers to bring Taylor back to life...again***

**Taylor: *poof* Yay! I'm alive! But you still owe me a thank you.**

**LeFay: How about I just give you this box of brownies? *holds up box***

**Taylor: That'll work! *grabs box and begins devouring the poor defenseless brownies***

**LeFay: Anyway... *turns to readers* I'd like to thank everyone for reviewing (almost 500 reviews!) and I'd like to thank everyone who has participated in the one-shot contest. Remember, the last day to enter is April 1st. **

**Taylor: Hey, you know what I just realized? All of my friends keep killing me.**

**LeFay: But at least _I_ brought you back to life. Ragan just left you to rot as a ghost.**

**Taylor: Speaking of that sadist, where is he.**

**LeFay: Beats me**

**Ragan: Hello Clarice~**

**LeFay: Holy $!%#, run for it!**

**LeFay & Taylor: *run away***

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 37<strong>

**Haunted**

(-Winry-)

She had been waiting for a couple of hours. It had to be close to four in the morning. Despite that, Winry wouldn't allow herself to rest. Besides, she wouldn't get any sleep anyways knowing her friends were in trouble. Instead of sitting around idly she dove right into working on Ed's automail parts. She had nearly every piece ready for installment when she heard the front door slam open.

"Winry!" Ed's voice bellowed.

She dropped whatever was in her hands and sprinted to the front room. She had to stop in the doorway once she saw him with Taylor in his arms looking practically dead. It almost made her faint on the spot. Mr. Garfiel, who had been in the front room already, must have passed out the moment Ed ran in for he was passed out on the floor.

"Winry!" Ed called again urgently.

She snapped out of her daze and rushed over to them. That's when the smell hit her. The scent of blood. It was overwhelming and made her stomach lurch.

"Let's get her to somewhere she can lie down." Winry said determinedly. Her voice sounded strong but her emotions were going haywire. To keep calm, she called on the same focused she used when building automail or performing surgeries. She couldn't afford to breakdown. She had more important things to worry about.

"Here," Winry said, entering a small bedroom. Grabbing a sheet out of the closet, she spread it out over the bed so that it wouldn't get dirty.

Ed laid her gently down. Taylor didn't stir in the slightest. Ed's eyes watched her still form with anxious golden irises. There was something else beneath that as well. Pain. And guilt. No doubt, Ed was blaming it all on himself for whatever had happened to Taylor.

"Ed. Don't you think we should take her to a hospital?" Winry suggested.

He shook his head, "I think all she needs is rest. She'll be okay."

Her expression turned into sheer disbelief, "Are you insane? She's completely covered in blood! How can you call that 'okay'?"

"She's may be covered in blood but she's not hurt. I checked."

Any other time Winry would have smacked him with her wrench for the insinuation behind that. She looked back to Taylor, finding it hard to believe what he had just said. Taylor's clothes had soaked in so much blood and were so ragged that they would need to be thrown away. Her long hair was matted with blood as well. And the sleeves of her shirt appeared to be torn off, leaving both of her arms bare up to the shoulders. From the looks of it, Winry would have sworn that the blood had come from Taylor. But a swift scan didn't render any results of that. It begged the questions of who's blood it could have been and why Taylor was covered in it.

Winry shook her head and asked, "What in the world did they do to her?"

Ed's fists clenched, "I don't know. I found her like this."

"And the ones responsible?"

"…Gone."

Winry closed her eyes for a minute, sorting out her thoughts. She knew that Ed was only giving her the most basic summary of what happened. There was more to it but, for now, she would drop the subject.

She opened her eyes again, glancing Ed up and down fully for the first time. He didn't seem to be hurt but he hadn't had the best of nights. His clothes had become dirtied from carrying Taylor and the bags under his eyes told her that he was about ready to drop.

Winry sighed, "Go. Get cleaned up. Get something to eat. You need to take a break."

He refused the order, "No. I want to stay with her."

"I can watch her for awhile."

"I know but "

"Edward! Her clothes are ruined and I need to get her into some clean ones and I can't do that with you in here! So scram!"

Ed blinked at her for a few seconds, taken aback. Then, sporting a light blush, he left the room.

Winry rubbed her temples tiredly. Then she begun her task.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed spent the next hour in a stupor, too wrapped up in his thoughts to pay much attention to his surroundings. His movements were mechanical as he showered and grabbed a bite to eat. He couldn't recall exactly the last time he had eaten. By all rights, he should be starved. And yet, he didn't feel hungry at all. The food didn't look all that appetizing to him, not after the night he had been through. His body needed the sustenance though so he forced every bite down, not tasting any of it.

The plate was tossed in the sink to be washed when Ed was done. He shuffled back to Taylor's bedroom, his steps dragging. He felt reluctant to go in again. Taylor…she looked so helpless…_lifeless_. It wasn't right. Taylor was always full of life. Whether she was playing her flute or teasing Ed about something or simply reading there was always an interesting air about her, drawing everyone in. It made Ed want to smile whenever she was nearby, something he appreciated greatly but could never put into words. That's why it pained him to see her like this. There had been too many close calls where he had almost lost her. Would she survive the next time? Would Ed be unable to protect her?

Feeling useless, Ed twisted the knob and opened the door. Winry sat on the bed, holding Taylor's limp hand. Ed scanned the unconscious girl tucked in bed. Winry had cleaned off most of the blood with the exception of some flecks that nothing less than a shower would remove. She now wore an oversized t-shirt, courtesy of Winry's closet, and probably some sweat pants underneath the blanket. With the bloody clothes gone Taylor's appearance improved but the weight of the night's struggles somehow emanated from her even in her slumber.

Winry smiled minimally at his entrance, "You look better."

Ed didn't respond. With a blank face he sat down on the other side of Taylor's bed. He didn't look at either of the girls, choosing instead to stare at the wooden floorboards.

"Ed?" Winry asked, knowing something was on his mind.

"…Do you think she hates me, Winry?" he asked softly.

She didn't answer right away, causing Ed to look up. Her big blue eyes were startled, "Taylor? Why in the world would she hate you?"

"Because I keep failing her." he replied miserably. "I'm suppose to be protecting her and she still ends up getting hurt."

"You can't blame yourself for this. It's not like you're the one who kidnapped her. And you didn't hand her over to them either."

"I might as well have. That's how useless as a bodyguard I am to her."

"What are you saying? This is just like when you were afraid to ask Al if he hated you. And, of course, he didn't. He couldn't hate you because you've given up so much for him. You've always been there for him and do whatever you can for Al, even if it means pushing yourself past your breaking point. And the same goes for Taylor too."

Ed looked away from his childhood friend, conflicting emotions stirring within him. He wanted to just listen to her but he also wanted her to agree that it was his fault.

"And besides Ed," she continued, "even if you were useless to her as a bodyguard, which I know you are not because of all those sparring matches I've seen you have with Al, she would still want you in her life. You're important to her, and if she were awake I'd bet she would tell you that herself. Just like she's important to you." He looked back to her, his mouth parted as if to say something. No words came out, leaving Winry to keep talking, "Even if you don't believe in yourself she believes in you. So don't let her down."

_I think you're capable, more than capable of being my bodyguard. Why can't you?_ Taylor had said those words the last time he had doubted himself like this. Winry had worded it differently but the meaning was still the same.

She then stood up and stretched, "Well, I'm beat! I'm gonna go get some much needed sleep." She went to the door.

"Winry." Ed called out.

With her hand resting on the doorknob, she turned back to him. She looked at him and, because she knew him so well, knew what he was getting at. She smiled, "Just get some rest you idiot." She walked out, the smile remaining on her lips as she closed the door.

Ed closed his eyes and shook his head with a small laugh. He didn't even need to say it out loud. Winry already knew how grateful he was to have her as a friend.

He glanced over at Taylor. Some of the heaviness returned to his heart, though Winry's speech had lightened it. There were so many questions left unanswered. What did the Homunculi want with Taylor exactly? Why were they luring Ed there? What was all of that red water doing there? And most importantly, what did they do to Taylor? He had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that they had done something horrible to her. They had obviously done something to her. He could see tell just by looking at her arms.

Ed gazed at her bare arms. Smooth, pale skin ran up the length of her limbs where they were once marked with black tattoos.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I experienced a minute of absolute disorientation. My eyes were open, staring unseeing. I had no idea where I was or what had happened or anything. I couldn't even recall the first thing about myself or life. For one minute, my mind had blacked out entirely to the point of amnesia.

But as something moved across my vision it all came rushing back to me. Envy kidnapping me. Waking up in the large room with the glass columns. The red water. Tucker. The conversation with Lust. Envy's sudden appearance. And then, Gluttony devouring my arms.

That last memory engulfed me, the pain and horror nearly palpable. I swore I could feel Gluttony's teeth sinking into my flesh, enjoying the taste. But that had already passed, right? Was I still there, in that room? Was it happening again? Everything was so jumbled inside I couldn't think straight.

It was too much. I fought back, screaming and kicking and using any means necessary to escape. I couldn't bear anymore. I had to get away. I had to run. I had to hide somewhere they wouldn't find me.

"Stop! Stop it!" a voice ordered me. I had the feeling that the person had been yelling at me for a while but their voice only now reached me.

I didn't listen to them. I continued to thrash around, making it hard for them to control me. My body, after all it's been through, had to have reached its limits. I had lost far too much blood for it not too. With the fear and adrenaline coursing throughout my body I couldn't feel it. I fought like a wild animal.

The person kept yelling at me and I kept fighting. As I struggled my eyes began to focus in the darkness. My attacker…it was a guy. And I kept seeing gold hair. Instantly, I thought of Ed.

_Ed? No, it can't be. He's with Al in Dublith. They may have figured out I had been taken but they couldn't possibly know where I've been taken to. Hell, I don't even know where I've been taken to. But this person, he looks and sounds like Ed. It's Ed but can't be Ed…There could only be one explanation, and I would not be fooled by Envy a second time._

I thrashed against him, putting all of my meager strength in it. I managed to push him back enough to clear an opening. I rushed past him, racing to the first exit I saw. I found a door and threw it open. I dashed into the hall and turned, running right into someone.

"NO!" I screeched, fighting off this new threat. I had used all of my energy against Envy, leaving my attempts against this person laughable they were so feeble. I didn't give up though. I weakly tried to push them away. They held my wrists firmly. They overpowered me so easily. "No! Let me go! Please!" I screamed, resorting to begging. I didn't even know I had been crying until I heard the sobs in my voice. "No more. Please! Just let me go. Please. Please, no more. Please, please, please…"

"Taylor! Calm down. It's me, Winry." the person told me.

My movements slowed as I peered at the face above me. The lemon blond hair, the bright, blue eyes, the high pitched voice. Indeed, it was Winry.

_No!_ my mind screamed. _It's a trick! They're trying to deceive me again. I can't fall for it. It's Envy._

The sheer terror must have shown in my eyes because she seemed taken aback. Her grip on me loosed and I flung my back against a wall.

"Taylor!" Ed's voice called to me again. He was standing on my other side, the two of them blocking me in.

"Stay back! No more!" I pleaded, cringing into the paneling.

"Taylor, it's okay. You're safe here." Winry spoke in a non-threatening tone.

"We're not gonna hurt you." Ed said, holding his hands out in a way to reassure me.

My eyes darted back and forth between the two of them.

Wait…two?

In my befuddled state it had taken me a minute to realize that Envy couldn't be in two places at once. At least one of them had to be the real Winry or Edward. And wouldn't one of them have realized if the other was Envy in disguise? Could this really be my two friends? Had I, against all odds, escaped that terrible nightmare?

I scanned the over more carefully this time. Winry wore pale purple pajamas with her hair flowing freely down her back. She looked either ready for bed or had been asleep. Ed had on his usual black tank top and leather pants with his hair loose as well. A scattering of cuts and bruises marred his tan skin and his automail arm wasn't in the best condition. It looked like Ed had been in a fight recently. Maybe…it was him then? Did he get me out of there?

"Is it…" I whispered and had to swallow and start again. "Is it really you?" The question was directed to both of them.

Realization flashed in Ed's eyes. I think he understood why I had asked that. Winry just seemed confused.

"Of course it's us." she said.

"Th then wh where's Al?" I stuttered.

"He went to Central." Ed answered. "We split up to look for you. He went there and I came here to Rush Valley."

"Rush Valley?" I repeated. I guess that explained why Winry was here.

Inching closer, Winry asked, "Taylor?" She reached out to me. I instinctively flinched and shut my eyes. My reaction didn't discourage her. She placed her thin arms around me in a comforting hug. "It's alright now. You're okay." she whispered to me.

I held on to those words like they were my last connection to sanity, anything resembling normalcy. I buried my face into the crook of Winry's neck in an effort to hide from the world. She held me while I shook violently, rubbing my back in soothing circles. I think I heard them whispering something to each other. It didn't mean anything to me. I was too lost in my own turmoil.

A deep longing burned inside me, a yearning to go home. I had never felt more homesick in my life. I wanted my mother and my sister _so badly_. God, I missed them so much. I was so tired of getting hurt and being in pain. I just wanted to go home. If Truth had asked me then and there if I would like to return I would have said yes without hesitation. There was no room in me to feel concerned about anyone or anything else other than my own desperate need for familiarity, safety, and all the other aspects that made up my home.

But I couldn't go home. I may have been brought here against my will initially but it was my own choice to stay later on. If I had went ahead and accepted Truth's offer I wouldn't have suffered that agony…

I pushed back the images of my torture out of my mind. No. I would not think about it. It only hurt me. I wouldn't think about it later. I could hurt later on. Just not now.

My trembling eased to a stop. I pulled away from Winry. She stared at me, concern enveloping her face. My own expression I could feel was vacant and devoid of all emotion.

"Taylor?" Winry called to me, her hands resting on my shoulders. She glanced at Ed who stood nearby. They exchanged a conversation with their eyes that was lost on me.

I stared down, drawn to the sight of my arms. Shock jolted down my spine as I found my tattoos missing. I opened and closed my hands, testing the muscles. They worked fine, but still…

I shook my head, forcing the memories down yet again. I looked back up to see them both staring at me strangely.

"I'm gonna get a shower." I announced in a monotone. I looked to Winry expectantly. She hesitated at my abruptness, then showed me where the bathroom was. I went to go in the moderate size room but paused in the doorway.

"Something wrong?" Winry asked me.

"I…" I trailed off, not knowing how to say it. I didn't want to be alone but I couldn't expect Winry to hang out in the bathroom while I cleaned up.

Thankfully, she caught on. "I'll be right out here if you need me."

I nodded and went in, closing the door behind me. I stripped and stepped in the shower. I had noticed that my clothes had disappeared and I had been wearing someone else's. Winry had probably changed my clothes. My clothes must have been covered in blood. I could still feel it, the blood. I could feel it sliding down my skin as it seeped from my own body.

I shuddered under the spray of the shower. Gingerly, I touched my shoulders where the tattoos suddenly ended. It all seemed so surreal, like I would wake up any second now in my own bed back at home. Surely this couldn't be anything but a dream. It couldn't have been real. Something like that couldn't have happened to me.

I clung to my denial, it being the only thing keeping me from screaming. I let the water cascade down my body as I scrubbed the memories of the blood away. I washed numerous times and only stopped when the hot water ran out. I dried off and pointedly avoided looking at the mirror. I dressed languidly, feeling exhausted. I guess a lot of blood loss tires a person out. Go figure.

The door creaked as I peeked out of it. I didn't find Winry. Instead, I met Edward's golden eyes.

He looked up when he heard the door open and quickly stood from his sitting position. He noticed my confused look and said, "I told Winry to go back to bed. She's been up all night and needs her rest." I nodded slowly, noting how Ed didn't look so peppy himself.

We stood there awkwardly for a moment. He opened his mouth to speak but I beat him to the punch, "I'm tired." I brushed past him and walked back to the bedroom. Ed followed me, of course. I sank down on the mattress where I had previously been sleeping. The lone window let in the barest amount of light. The sky glowed light blue and I knew it must be nearing sunrise.

"Taylor," Ed said, breaking the silence. He stood in the middle of the room, staring at me intently.

I didn't look at him. I couldn't. I gripped my elbows, trying to hold it all in. _No. I can't do this. Not now. Not yet. Please._

Ed had always been stubborn and now was no exception. He pressed forward, forcing me to face the cruel reality, "Why did they take you? What happened?"

"…Envy kidnapped me." I began, my words barely audible. With that first short sentence I shivered and squeezed my arms tighter. "I thought he was Izumi… I should have known… We got on a train and then…ya know." I shrugged my shoulders as if it wasn't a big deal and hoped he would leave it at that.

"What happened after that?"

I shut my eyes and fought to keep my breathing steady, "…I don't want to talk about it."

"I need to know." he said firmly.

"No you don't." I replied sharply. "There's not much to tell anyway."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Ed yelled back at me, making me look up at him with wide eyes. I could tell that his anger wasn't directed towards me exactly. He was more upset by the whole situation. "I know they did something to you, something bad. Otherwise, you wouldn't have reacted like Winry and I were trying to kill you when you woke up earlier. When I found you, you were covered in blood. And there's the fact that there was red water stored there."

"They were trying to make a Philosopher's Stone." I answered him to get him to stop talking. Everything he was saying was bringing back unbidden memories.

That made him pause. In a less angrier tone he said, "That must be why they were trying to lure me there. They wanted me to create the stone for them, using you as an incentive."

"And they somehow know my stalker, Fate." I told him, trying to think about other things. "Lust asked me a lot of questions about him, wanted to know what I knew about the guy. I couldn't tell her a lot." I glanced at him for the first time since entering the room. I made sure my face was neutral as I asked him, "Were they there when you arrived?"

"No. Although, there was someone, or rather something, dead in that room."

Dead? The Homunculi couldn't die. Well, not that easily anyway. I had seen the stone within Lust myself so it would be logical to assume that their makeup was like the Homunculi from Brotherhood, with the exception of them being created when an alchemist attempts to bring somebody back to life. And Dante was the one pulling the strings. Plus, I had seen Tucker with them. That couldn't be good.

"Oh," I said as the answer hit me. "You must have seen Tucker. He must have…" What I couldn't say aloud was that he had died because of what I

_Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Just forget about it. Don't think about it._ I told myself over and over again in the hopes that forgetting about it would make it not real.

Ed blanched, "That thing I saw was Tucker?"

I nodded, rubbing my temples with my fingers.

He let that soak in for a minute. His mind must have been running a miles away. He turned back to me and his eyes held a suspicious gleam. "There's something else, isn't there? What are you not telling me?"

"Nothing." I muttered, not looking at him again.

He crossed the room and stood in front of me imposingly, "No, there's definitely something."

"Just leave it alone."

"No. You're hiding something from me and I want to know what it is."

"I'm just tired."

"From what? What did they do to you?"

"They kidnapped me."

"They did more than that."

"There's nothing much more to tell." I shrugged, the memories surfacing even stronger.

"I heard you screaming. When I was running down the halls trying to find where you were, I could hear your screams. It sounded like they were killing you."

I shuddered, hearing the echoes of my own screams. I kept quiet because I wasn't sure what I would say if I opened my mouth.

"And then there's this." He picked up my arm by the wrist to give me a good view of my arm. My eyes were drawn to movement. As my gaze locked on the smooth skin horrific images flashed through my mind. "How did some of your tattoos suddenly disappear?"

My lips parted and words spilled out of my mouth in a whimper, "These aren't my hands."

"…What?"

"These aren't my hands." I said again, louder this time. My breathing became erratic as I could see it happening all over again. "These aren't my hands. These aren't my hands! Gluttony ate my arms! He ate them!"

He let go of me, shocked senseless at what I revealed. He sucked in a breath and his eyes dilated and widened. He knew that what I had been through had been bad but he had never imagined this.

Tears streamed down my face as I went into hysterics. I couldn't tear my gaze away from my arms, even though just looking at them made me sick. "These aren't my hands! These aren't my hands! _These aren't my hands_!" I repeated myself over and over in incomprehensible sobs. My rambling resembled that of a crazy person and I suppose that's what I was right then. With my emotions going berserk I couldn't focus on the present. My mind threw me back into that place, making me lose my grip on reality… The blood… The pain… I couldn't escape… I couldn't breathe… It hurt… It was killing me.

I felt something shaking me roughly. The memories sank back reluctantly as the real world flooded my senses.

"Taylor! Damn it! Snap out of it!" Edward yelled, his hands on my shoulders as he tried to pull me out of my nightmare.

I quieted, the tears flowing silently down my cheeks. I drew in shaky breaths as my head spun.

Ed stopped shaking me once I had calmed down. I'm not sure what my face showed but I could see from his expression that I had freaked him out. "Taylor?" he asked worriedly.

"I think I'm gonna be sick." I told him urgently.

He wasted no time in grabbing the small garbage bin from the corner. He shoved it at me just as my stomach heaved. I hadn't eaten in a while so there wasn't much to throw up. I was left dry heaving and trying to catch my breath in between. Ed sat on the bed beside me, pushing my long hair back out of the way. I didn't want him to see me like this but I was glad he was there with me.

The nausea passed after a few minutes. I sat the bin on the floor and pushed it away in disgust. Then I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. Ed left to go get me some water and returned with a glass full of the clear liquid. I sipped it, not wanting to have a repeat of sickness. I drank enough to get the sour taste out of my mouth.

Ed took the glass from me when I was done and sat it on the bedside table. I was staring at my hands again. Ed got my attention by holding my hands in his. His large palms covered my small fists.

I could tell that he didn't want to cause me further discomfort, but he had to know, "If Gluttony…ate your arms, how do you still have your limbs?"

I swallowed a few times before answering, "They grew back." I glanced at him to see his brows furrowed, my answer puzzling him. I would have to explain further. "You remember how I was able to heal my cuts on the train?"

He nodded solemnly, "You said it was an ability you acquired when you crossed the gate."

"Yeah. It's the same way I was able to regenerate my arms. It's the power of my blood. All those times I've healed myself or used alchemy with no circles whatsoever, I was using my blood."

"Blood doesn't have any special properties for alchemy."

"Mine does." I took a deep breath. What I was about to say next had the potential to ruin everything but it needed to be said. I couldn't hide it any longer. "My blood holds the power of the Philosopher's Stone."

Ed's eyebrows shot up to his hairline, "You…you can't be serious?"

"I am. When I found the alchemy circle in my world, the one that looks exactly like my tattoos, in the center of the circle was a Philosopher's Stone. When I picked it up the circle somehow became activated and the next thing I knew I was having a chat with Truth. Truth…it did something to me. I don't know how but it merged the stone into me. Now, whenever I bleed I'm able to use it's power."

There it was, the whole truth. All of my secrets were exposed and I had no idea what Ed would do with them. Would he yell at me? Hate me? Just walk away and leave me for good?

An eternity passed before he found his voice, "You've known about this for awhile now, haven't you?"

"Yes." I admitted. "I realized it in Arcadia."

"Why didn't you tell me before."

I looked up at him again. My heart twisted painfully as I saw his hurt expression. Moisture glistened in my eyes again, "Because… I didn't want you to hate me. I thought about telling you after you deciphered Marcoh's notes but then you got mad at me for not telling you about that. I was afraid to tell you anymore. I tried to tell myself that it was better anyway if no one knew. I and everyone else would be safer that way, but that wasn't the main reason. I didn't know how you would react. I was scared that you and Al would reject me because I didn't tell you. I was afraid that you would be disgusted that I had used it. You guys would never use it because of what goes into making it but I did. I didn't want to but I…" I choked off the words as they became sobs. I was losing it again, not in the crazy way I did before but more of a breakdown cause by too much stress.

Ed was watching me, uncertainty written all over his face. It pained me to see that. He probably didn't trust me anymore. He probably hated me.

The thought of that had me begging him in broken sobs, "Please don't hate me, Ed. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ed. Please, don't hate me." I wouldn't be able to bear it if he really did hate me. I didn't want to lose him. Ed, Al, Winry…they were all that I had left and I cared so much about them. It terrified me to imagine being lost in this world without them and to lose some of the best friends I had ever met.

And then suddenly, his arms were around me and his lips were at my ear saying, "I couldn't hate you even if I tried."

More tears spilled over as so many emotions raged inside me. Rather than figuring them out, I just let them all out in the form of tears. Huddled in the warmth of his embrace, I cried and I cried. And Ed held me the entire time. There were no accusations. There were no angry shouts. He didn't leave me. He stayed and simply held me.

It was more than I deserved.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

To say that he was shocked would be an understatement. Ed had no idea that Taylor was hiding that big of a secret this whole time. What him and Al had been searching for for years was right in front of him. However, the moment was bitter sweet.

Ed felt a number of things. He felt hurt. He felt anger. He felt regret. Guilt. Sorrow. And most of all, confusion. He didn't know how to react to this. He was telling the truth when he had told Taylor that he couldn't hate her. It was just an impossibility. After everything they had been through together he harbored no ill will towards her. More than anything he just wanted her to be happy, not have her crying like this. She was scared and what the Homunculi had done to her had mentally scarred her. He wanted to protect her, keep her safe, reassure her, but he wasn't sure how to comfort her. He had never been good at this sort of thing. The only thing he could think of was to show her that she wasn't alone. That he was there for her.

He let her cry herself to sleep. Ed gazed down at her, wiping away the salty streaks on her cheeks with his flesh hand. She looked exhausted, haunted, and vulnerable and yet, there was relief. It was like a heavy burden had been lifted from her. It must be from holding this secret in for so long.

Again, Ed didn't blame Taylor. But that didn't solve everything. There was still the matter of the stone inside of her. What did it mean? And what would Ed do about it?

He sighed. He was too tired to think about it now. He could call Al tomorrow, tell him he had found Taylor, and discuss this with him. Maybe between the two of them they could come up with something.

Ed laid Taylor down, resting her head on the pillow. He went to move but she clutched his shirt tighter, whimpering as she curled up to him. He sighed again and settled into the mattress with her. It wasn't the most spacious bed but if it made Taylor feel better he would stay with her.

* * *

><p>(-Fate-)<p>

It seemed the girl was proving more trouble than he would have thought. He had not wanted to intervene with the beings of this world, yet he felt he must. It would allow balance to be restored on its own. He honestly thought it would work. He had not foreseen the Homunculi failing. He would not make the same mistake again. This time, he would take a more direct approach.

* * *

><p><strong>I really like the fact that there was no humor in this, and even though there wasn't really any action the emotions made it just as intense.<strong>

**Again, thanks to Taylor for editing this chappy! I guess I'll see you next week!**

**Ragan: I'm back.**

**LeFay: Oh crud bludgeon! *runs away***


	38. Chapter 38

**Okie dokie! To those of you who don't know the results to the one-shot contest have been posted on my profile. This contest went so well that I plan to have another in a month or so.**

**In other news, I was scared for my life the other day. We were set to dissect pigs in my Biology II class (which was not fun by the way), and Ragan, being the sadist he is, said, "I can't wait to dissect pigs today! It'll be just like dissecting LeFay!" ... I don't think he meant it as a compliment. Ragan wrote a one-shot a couple of weeks back and I urge you all to check it out to see how twisted his mind is. I'll be posting it in a little bit and it will be called, "A Sadist's Story".**

**Anyway! Loved all the reviews! Can't wait for more! Yadda yadda yadda! And on with the show!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 38<strong>

**An 'average' afternoon in Rush Valley**

(-Ed-)

"So, how long do you think it will take?" Ed asked anxiously.

Winry frowned as she inspected the now unattached automail arm, "Why are you asking? Don't tell me you're planning on running off to get into more trouble."

"I'd just like to be able to hit the road soon. Al's waiting in Central. Which reminds me, I need to call him soon."

The mechanic looked up at him as he stared off into space. She caught him off guard by asking, "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

"What do you mean?" he countered, snapping his attention back to her.

She talked as she replaced a gear in the forearm of the automail, "It might be better if you stayed put for a little while, for Taylor's sake. She might not be up to traveling yet."

Ed reflexively glanced down the hall that led to the bedroom Taylor and he shared. He had woken up only an hour ago in the middle of the afternoon. Taylor still slept soundly, needing the extra rest. He didn't know how long she would be out and was nervous of how she would act when she woke up. Would there be a repeat of last time? Or would she be okay?

He mentally slapped himself. _Of course she's not going to be okay, you idiot! Would you be okay if someone ate your arms? NO!_

Ed scratched his head as he pondered. "You've got a point. But I don't think she would want to stay here, so close to where it happened. I sure as hell wouldn't. It might ease her mind when we go to Central."

Winry sighed, "That may be true but don't force anything on her. Let her choose. She's been through a lot and hasn't healed yet."

"You don't have to remind me." Ed grumbled. He turned his back to her, "I'm gonna go call Al."

He left the workshop room and went to the front room where customers came in. As it was, Garfiel was speaking to someone at a table. Ed ignored them and walked behind the counter to access the phone. Taking a deep breath, he dialed the number to the dorms and connected to Alphonse.

"Brother?" Al voice came through the receiver. His question wasn't for clarification of who was on the phone but to ask what was going on.

"Everything's fine Al. I found Taylor."

"You did? Where was she? Is she okay? What happened? Is she "

"Slow down, Al!" Ed ordered, holding the phone away from his ear as the questions were yelled one after another.

"Sorry," Al apologized. "I'm just worried."

Ed sighed, "I know. She's alright physically. She's sleeping right now."

"…What do you mean by 'physically'?" Al asked, catching on quickly.

And so Ed told him. He explained last night's whole ordeal, even divulging what the Homunculi had done to her.

"I knew the Homunculi didn't have souls but this…" Al trailed off, unable to find an appropriate word to describe their atrocious deeds. "Brother, if this is all that results from us searching for a way to get our bodies back then I never want to go back to being normal. Not if it costs other people."

"I know how you feel." Ed nodded, even if Al couldn't see the action. "But I'm beginning to believe that we're too deep in this to turn back now. Even if we walked away our burdens would follow us wherever we go."

"But there must be something we could do." Al suggested, his voice almost pleading.

Ed's tone became determined, "There is something that we can do. We'll dig ourselves out of this hole we've buried ourselves in. You know what they say, when you hit rock bottom there's nowhere to go but up."

Al chuckled, then erupted in guffaws.

The elder blinked at his younger brother's reaction, "What's so funny?"

He settled down somewhat and answered, "It's just surprising to hear you say something like that, you being pessimistic all the time and whatnot."

"I'm not pessimistic all the time." Ed muttered. "Just some of the time."

"Whatever you say, Brother." Al replied, stifling more laughter.

Ed groaned in protest but let it slide, "Anyway, there's something else I need to tell you."

"What is it?" he asked seriously.

"It's about Taylor…" Ed began. He had explained everything to Al so far except the biggest thing. He braced himself and told him the rest of it.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I blinked furiously, the insides of my eyelids feeling like someone had washed them with sandpaper. Ugh, I hated mornings. Scratch that. From the looks of the sun outside it was somewhere in the afternoon. Just how long had I been asleep?

Groggily, I rolled over. My hands were met with empty space. I sat up quickly, trying to remember last night. Or was it early this morning? The last thing I could recall was talking to Ed. Then he held me while I cried. I must have fallen asleep during that.

For a moment, I panicked. Ed had disappeared and I was alone. It made me look around the room with darting glances, searching for danger.

"Calm down, Taylor." I whispered to myself. Ed must have been around here somewhere. He wouldn't have just left without me. And Winry was here to. I wasn't alone. I was still safe.

I had to repeat these things to myself many times before I gained the courage to get out of bed. I opened the door and walked to the bathroom. After taking care of business I found myself staring at the mirror. My skin was even paler than usual, making the sprinkling of freckles on my cheeks stand out. There were dark circles under my eyes that screamed how tired I was. My hair stuck out in odd places, almost comically so. Overall, I looked like crap that had been stepped on. Not even the funny faces I made at myself could cheer me up so I just gave up and left the bathroom.

_At least I'm not freaking out like last night_, I thought to myself. In fact, I was walking down the hall and was completely ignoring the urge to look over my shoulder. That's a plus.

"_BWARK!_"

"Eeep!" I squealed and jumped ten feet into the air. Snapping my head in the direction the sound was made, I looked out a window and saw a large buzzard type bird perched on the branch of a tree. It glanced at me and made the same startling noise.

"What are you looking at?" I yelled at the bird, angry at having been scared for nothing.

"_BWAAARK!_" it screeched again.

"You laughing at me?"

"_BWARK!_"

"You're momma!"

"…_BWARK!_"

"Alright. It's go time, feather butt!"

"What are you doing?"

I tore my gaze away from the insulting bird and met Winry's confused stare. She stood at the end of the hall like she was either planning to help me regain sanity or run for her life if the former plan failed.

I pointed towards the window, "This stupid bird won't leave me alone!"

She raised an eyebrow and walked over to see. The bird cocked its head in silence.

If this were an anime instead of real life Winry would have sweat dropped. "Taylor, it's just sitting there."

I narrowed my eyes at the bird, "It only shut up now that I have Winry power on my side."

Winry snorted and grabbed my arm, "Let's go."

"Where?" I asked as she dragged me away.

"To get you some food so that you'll be in your right mind again."

My stomach rumbled at the promise of food. It had been forever since I had eaten anything. No wonder I was so grouchy. But how did Winry know I got grouchy when I was hungry?

I asked her and she laughed, saying, "Because you're just like Edward sometimes."

I couldn't decided if that was a compliment or not so I said nothing, letting her pull me into the kitchen and sit me at the small table. She chatted merrily as I watched her make quick work of some eggs and bacon. Her comments were mostly centered around what she had been doing lately and her customers. I enjoyed listening to her but I couldn't help feeling that something was off. She was too…perky.

When she set the plate of food in front of me she continued to prattle on cheerfully. I interrupted her, "Winry?"

She gave me a huge grin, "What is it, Taylor?"

"You don't have to act like that."

"Like what?"

"So cheery. It's making me nervous to be honest."

She deflated but gave me a small, genuine smile, "Sorry. I guess it's my own nerves getting to me."

I returned her smile, "It's alright. You're wanting to ask me about what happened, right?"

She squeaked at being caught, "Heh, how'd you know?"

"Psychic powers." I whispered and took a bite of bacon. She stared at me, frozen, while I chewed. I swallowed and said, "That was a joke, Winry. Feel free to laugh."

"Oh…" she croaked. We sat there like that for a minute until we both began giggling, which turned into full out laughter. The tension in Winry eased with her laughs but if she had really been listening to mine she would have heard the edge of hysteria in mine.

We calmed down and I dug into my food. In between bites I gave her the simplest version of what happened yesterday, being sure to leave out the major stuff. I was surprised at what a relief it was to talk about even that small bit. Winry gave me her full attention. She never once told me how sorry she was and I was grateful. I didn't want to be pitied. Instead, she suggested that I could talk to her whenever I needed and then she did the most amazing thing ever.

"Here," she said, handing me something.

"What's this for?" I asked, gesturing to the wrench in my hand.

"Self defense."

I smiled and pulled her into a tight hug, a few tears threatening to leak out. I was so lucky to have her as a friend.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

After my afternoon breakfast, I asked Winry where Ed was. She told me that he had went to call Al a while ago and that I could probably find him in the front room. I left Winry to her automail as I went in search of him. The front room was occupied by only Garfiel. He was saying goodbye to a customer as I walked up to him. I asked him where Ed had gone and he told me that he had just left to go for a walk and that I could catch him if I hurried. And so I did.

I stepped outside and craned my neck back and forth to see which way he had gone. The afternoon sunlight hit a head of golden hair off in the distance and I raced after it.

"Hey. Where ya goin?" I asked, falling into step beside a one armed Ed.

He glanced at me as if I had distracted him from his thoughts, "Oh, nowhere in particular. I've just got a lot on my mind right now." He looked at me again, this time more appraisingly, "You seem better today."

I shrugged, "I don't know about that." I watched my feet scuffing the dirt road as we moved through the bustling city. I could feel Ed's stare, like he was trying to figure me out. It made me fidgety so I started to ramble, "It's odd…thinking about what happened. It almost feels like it happened to someone else. But I know that it was me and that's what frightens me, because I don't want it to be real."

"But it is real and the first step to moving past it is accepting it. Denying it only prolongs the pain."

"Speaking from experience?" I tried to smile but my lips stayed in a stiff line.

"Yes." he answered simply.

We fell into silence, letting our feet make the only sounds between us as we walked. I knew Ed was right but still, it was hard. Overcoming something like that wouldn't be easy and to tell the truth I would be scarred for life.

For some reason I wanted to cry. Stubbornly, I kept the waterworks at bay. I didn't want to be weak anymore. But I wasn't superhuman. I could only bear so much before I crumbled. And I had tried so hard to be strong lately. Didn't I deserve to be weak just this once?

My eyes chose the answer for me. A few tears spilled over, causing me to wipe away the streaks. Ed remained quite, giving me peace to do what I needed to do. We stayed like that for a while.

Eventually my eyes dried and I was able to change the subject, "So, Winry said that you talked to Al?" My voice wavered slightly from the crying.

"Yeah… I told him, about everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything." he confirmed.

"…oh…Where does that leave us?"

He heaved a sigh and scratched the back of his head, "Honestly? I have no clue. It's a lot to take in. Al was just as surprised as I was, if not more. He doesn't know what to think about it either."

Awkward silence followed. There was a statement lingering between us, yearning to be said. I knew I had to say it. "Ed, you know with the power of my stone you and Al could possibly get your bodies back."

"I'd be lying if I said that hadn't crossed my mind." he admitted. We came to the top of a hill that overlooked most of Rush Valley. The view of the setting sun was breathtaking. We ended up sitting on the ground, staring off into the distance.

"Do you "

"No," he cut me off firmly, already knowing what I would say. "I won't use you like that."

"Is it because your morals won't let you use the stone because of the human souls in it?"

"No, it's because it would be dangerous for you and I don't want to risk you getting hurt."

The way he looked at me right then made me blush. I hid my face behind a curtain of hair.

He must not have noticed or chose not to comment because he went on, "There's no telling what would happen to you if we used the stone like that. It's fused into you so completely that it's apart of you. The stone's power could be depleted with a transmutation of that scale…"

"And it might use me as well." I finished for him.

He nodded, "Exactly. That's why I want to find another way. Besides, you said before that we get our bodies back. That must mean that it all works out."

I laughed nervously, "I'd like to think that but so much has happened I don't know where this will all lead. Everything has gotten out of whack."

Ed snorted.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "What's so funny?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. You just have a way with words is all."

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet my home skillet biscuit."

Ed stared at me as if I had grown another head.

"What you looking at me like that for, homie? It ain't cool, dog."

"…Have you lost your mind?"

"Nah, I'm just getting my gangster on."

"Gangster?"

"Yeah. _I'm a gangster, I'm a straight up G. The gangster life is the life for me_."

As I rapped more of the song he howled with laughter. Even if I did still feel like crap at least I could make people laugh. Humor was the best way to deal with traumatizing events. If you couldn't find something to laugh about you would go insane.

Ed calmed down when I stopped rapping, but a small smile lingered on his lips. We soon became lost in our own individual thoughts. Ed was probably wondering what a gangster was while my mind steered back to the original subject. Where were we now in the series? Different things happened after Dublith but it was hard to sort out which events belonged to which storyline.

"Hey Ed?" I asked.

"Hm?"

"Can you tell me what happened when you went to the Devil's Nest to find Al?"

His brows furrowed, "Don't you know what happened?"

"There are different stories, Ed. I'm trying to figure out which one took place."

He understood my logic and explained that night to me. Ed and Izumi had rushed to the bar and found Al with Greed and his group of chimeras. They fought until soldiers from the Southern Command Center arrived (**A/N: I got it wrong a few chapters ago when I said they were from the Eastern one. My bad.**), along with the Fuhrer himself.

I interrupted him there, "Did Bradley kill a snake chimera named Martel while she was hiding inside of Al?"

"Yeah, actually."

"That must mean that Greed is dead." I guess that meant I wouldn't be seeing that particular homunculus. Unless, Ling showed up in the picture any time soon, which I was beginning to doubt. At any rate, even if he did Greed couldn't be reborn like how Father did it in Brotherhood. It took a human transmutation in this one.

"Are you saying that Bradley killed Greed? I thought the Homunculi were supposed to be immortal?"

"Not exactly." I answered on both accounts. I explained to him the whole Philosopher's Stone being their core and how it was likely that they could die if their stone's power ran out. Confused, Ed brought up the fact that they were trying to create a stone. Why would they need to create a stone if they already had the ones inside them? "It's because only they can use their own stones. And since they can't perform alchemy the only thing they're useful for is regeneration."

"It makes sense." he agreed. "They'll manipulate someone else to create one and use it for them."

"Yeah." I said, thinking about something. There was a thought that was bothering me. I kept thinking about the three separate storylines and how they were involved here. But wasn't there something about the manga I heard from Nathan? He was an odd kid that was in my class. We were talking about anime one day, FMA to be specific. He said something about Brotherhood being better because of the manga. But what was it he had said about the manga?

I slapped my forehead, "I'm such a freaking moron!"

"Uhhh, Taylor?" Ed asked uncertainly.

"Sorry, I just realized something." I groaned.

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Well, you know how I said there were three different stories about you back in my world?"

"Yeah."

"I just realized that there are really only two."

Ed's jaw dropped, "What?"

"I forgot that the manga is practically like the second anime. God, I'm such an idiot."

In a less surprised tone, Ed asked, "What?"

Oh yeah. I forgot he didn't know about manga or anime because I had been calling them stories to make it simpler.

I sighed, "A manga is a type of book with lots of artwork. An anime is like a show. There are two animes and one manga of FMA but one of the animes follows the manga for the most part. You follow me?"

He nodded slowly, "I think so." Then he suddenly chuckled. He hid his mouth behind his hand as he laughed again.

"What?"

He glanced at me with humor shining in his eyes, "All this time we thought there were three stories we had to worry about when there were only two this entire time. Leave it to you Taylor to make a situation more complicated."

"I resent that." I told him moodily, slapping his arm. He laughed again so I threatened, "Winry gave me a wrench. Don't make me use it on you."

That shut him up. Heh, I'd have to thank Winry again later.

We watched the sun as it sank into the horizon. Twilight soon came and the night would come after. I was reluctant to go but I knew we would need to head back soon. But there was one last thing that I needed to tell Ed. It was about how a homunculus is created. I was pretty certain he didn't know yet. I think he was supposed to have found out by now. So it would fall on me to tell him the truth. Oh, great joy.

"Ed," I began. "There's something I need to "

"Look out!" Ed screamed, pushing me out of the way as something crashed into where I had been sitting. Unfortunately, this caused us both to tumble down the hill. The world spun as we rolled together to the bottom.

"Ugh, what?" I asked dizzily.

"We got to move!" Ed told me urgently.

"Why?" I asked, bewildered.

"Your stalker's back, and I don't think he's very happy."

I snapped to attention and looked up the hill. There, at the top, was Fate. He pulled his sword out of the ground where he had struck and stared down at us coldly.

"Come on!" Ed ordered, dragging me to my feet and down the road.

"How does he keep finding me?" I said in exasperation. I glanced over my shoulder…which was a bad idea. "Ah! He's catching up to us!"

"Damn it. Run faster!" Ed ordered.

"I'm…trying!" I panted as I increased my speed as much as humanly possibly. Ed held onto my hand as we sped down the streets of Rush Valley. As to be expected, pedestrians were giving us strange looks. They stood there and gawked at us as we passed by with a crazed swordsman on our heels. Really, was it too much to ask for them to call the cops or something?

I saw Fate rear his sword back out of my peripheral vision and Ed pushed me out of the way. I fell into a crate of supplies sitting outside of a store. I sat up as quickly as I could to catch where Ed had went. Currently, he was dodging another one of Fate's attacks. He weaved in and out of the blade's swings, forced to be on the defensive due to his lack of arm. And if Ed couldn't fight back properly we were screwed.

Ed dodged again, ducking and rolling. It left him open for a moment and Fate swooped in. While Ed laid on his back the sword descended downward, only to be stopped by the boot of Ed's automail foot. He kicked the blade away and pushed off of the ground with one hand. It was awkward but he managed to flip backwards, clipping his opponents chin in the process. It didn't do much good because Ed was getting backed into a wall. Fate shot his sword out and Ed barely avoided it as the blade sunk into the brick of the building.

"Ha, you missed." Ed antagonized him.

In answer, Fate charged his sword up with yellow sparks. The wall exploded and chunks of brick went everywhere. Ed was blown to the side and rolled into a crouching position. Blood poured down his face and dripped off of his chin. He wiped it out of his eye in annoyance.

"So you're able to run an electric charge through your sword." Ed commented. "Nifty."

Fate rushed him and this time, it would be too fast for Ed to get out of the way.

"No!" I screamed after finding my voice. I clapped my hands together and willed the ground to protect Ed. A small wall jutted out from the ground in front of Ed just as Fate's sword nearly plunged into him. The blade became stuck in the obstacle.

Ed jumped out from behind the wall and moved in on Fate. He kicked the man away from his weapon, sending him flying.

He smirked, "Without your sword you can't perform your alchemy."

Oh no. Ed must think that there was a transmutation circle on Fate's sword, enabling him to supercharge it. His assumption was going to get him killed.

Fate recovered faster than I would have thought and stood up. His blank face didn't even twitch as he spoke, "You're wrong." He drove his fist in the ground, reminding me of one of Armstrong's attacks. The lightning raced towards Ed who was defenseless against it. The charge ran up his legs and my eyes widened at the sound of Ed's cries of agony. When the sparks stopped Ed's legs buckled and he fell to the ground.

"ED!" I screamed. _No, no, no! This can't be happening! No!_

His head lifted the smallest bit and his eyes found me. "Run!" he called to me hoarsely.

I didn't want to leave him helpless like that but there was no way I would be able to stand against Fate on my own. He would surely kill me. As Fate walked towards me I watched him in silent terror.

"Taylor!" Ed shouted.

I snapped out of it and chose to run for it. It was the only thing I could think of. If I could lead Fate far enough away maybe Ed would be safe. It was worth a try and I was all out of options anyway.

I didn't make it five feet. Fate suddenly appeared in front of me, spun in a circle, and drove his foot into my stomach. The air whooshed out of my lungs as I was tossed into the air. I landed a couple of yards away from Ed, gasping for breath.

"No matter what you do you will lose." I heard Fate's emotionless voice. "It is inevitable."

"It won't stop me from trying." I coughed, pulling myself up.

"Stay away from her!" Ed growled as he struggled to get up as well.

Fate paid him no mind, walking towards me. I scurried back but he caught me by the collar of my shirt. He seemed to almost frown as he examined my arms, "You've lost part of your arrays."

"What's your point?" I snapped both in irritation and fear of what he was going to do.

"They are the connection to the gate. I shall restore them."

He touched the tattoos on my collarbone and they instantly flared a bright red. I screamed as fire seared through my veins. Distantly, I could hear Ed yelling for me but the pain held all of my attention. My hands came up to grip Fate's arms and I was astonished to see the missing tattoos fill back in. I stared into his eyes, their dark depths swallowing me as I descended into blackness.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Taylor!" Ed screamed in vain. His body wouldn't obey him so he was powerless to stop the man from lifting Taylor off of the ground. He watched as he touched her and the tattoos returned to her arms. Then, worst of all, a large eye opened on her chest in the middle of the array centered there. Black arms reached out and pulled her through, leaving Fate holding nothing.

"No! Taylor…" Ed yelled again but his voice sounded muffled and far away. He noticed the signs of losing consciousness and fought against it with all of his might but it was a battle he was losing. In his fading vision he saw Fate retrieve his weapon and walk away.

"Taylor…" Ed moaned again as he succumbed to darkness.

* * *

><p>(-Winry-)<p>

The afternoon had transformed into Twilight when Winry heard a commotion outside.

"What in the world?" she asked herself as she ventured outdoors. People were running down the street towards something. She didn't know what but she had a bad feeling about it. She followed the crowd down the streets and soon found what all the noise was about.

"Edward!" Winry shouted. She ran to her unconscious friend as a couple of worried civilians were placing his arms around their shoulders to lift him up.

"Do you know him, Miss?" one of them asked in relief.

She nodded fiercely, "Yes, he's my friend. What happened to him?"

"Him and this girl were fighting some guy." the other one answered her.

"Girl?" He must be referring to Taylor. Winry glanced around the area but couldn't find any sign of her, "Where is the girl he was with?"

The men looked at each other before the first one said, "You're not going to believe this but she just disappeared."

"Disappeared? How?" she demanded.

They shook their heads. "The guy they were fighting, he had something to do with it."

Winry wanted to ask more questions but she needed to tend to Ed. She directed the men back to Garfiel's shop where they carried him inside. Winry asked them to let her know if they saw the girl again anywhere and they promised they would. As Winry cleaned Ed's wounds she panicked as to what had happened to Taylor. She wanted to go search for her so badly, but Ed needed her too. He might wake up while she was out looking and she wanted to be there when he regained consciousness.

It took over an hour for the young alchemist to open his eyes. When he did, he bolted upright, "Taylor!"

"Calm down, Ed." Winry told him gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He grunted as the quick movement had caused him pain. He held his head for a moment in an effort to make the throbbing subside. "Winry? What happened?"

"I found you unconscious in the middle of the street, that's what happened." Winry said, peeved.

Ed looked up at her, "And Taylor?"

She shook her head, her expression turning sad, "I didn't see her there. They said she disappeared."

Ed covered his face with his hand, "So it really did happen. She's gone." Then he swung his legs over the bed and went to stand up.

"What are you doing? Lay back down." Winry ordered, pushing him back. It was a testament to how weak he was that she was able to.

"I've got to find her!" Ed argued.

"You can't go anywhere in your condition. You need to rest or you'll get worse."

"I don't care!" he yelled. The anger was so thick in his voice that Winry actually took a step back. He was able to get to his feet without her stopping him, only to collapse again.

Winry caught him and pulled him back to the bed, "You're pushing yourself to hard, Ed."

He laid down, breathing heavily as sweat formed on his brow, "I've got to…"

The chime of the telephone came to them but Winry chose to ignore it. Ed was more important than a customer. But whoever it was were very persistent. The phone kept ringing and ringing until Winry got up.

"Stay here. When I come back we'll figure something out." she told him and left.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"I have to find her." he told himself. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, his joints burning in protest. His body wanted to rest but he couldn't yet. Not until he found Taylor.

He had gotten both of his feet to the floor again just as Winry ran into the room.

"Ed!" she said.

"I don't care what you say Winry. I have to "

"Al just called! He said that Taylor's at the hospital in Central."

Ed stared dumbly at her for a minute. Then he bellowed, "How the hell did she get to Central!"

* * *

><p><strong>So, I tried my best on this chapter. For some reason, it was hard to write and it took me forever. Let me know if it wa good or not.<strong>


	39. Chapter 39

**S'up peoples? Nothing? Bored out of your minds? Well, I have just the solution for that! With this new chapter your state of boredom will become but a dream...that is, until you finish this chapter.**

**So, I've got news for you guys. I finally joined the world of deviantart, since I'm not too shabby at drawing. I haven't posted anything on it yet but I will sometime in the future. I'm gonna try to get Taylor to get an account too since she's AMAZING at drawing. Also, you guys remember in chapter, twelve I think, how Taylor played that song on her flute and I mentioned that it was a real song I wrote for her? Well I'm gonna try to record that soon and post it on youtube. I'll tell you guys when I do.**

**Ragan: Get on with it, woman!**

**LeFay: Jeez, you're so demanding Ragan. I swear you're either gonna grow up to be the next Hitler or a dominatrix.**

**Ragan: ...What's a dominatrix?**

**LeFay: *facepalms* I am so not explaining that to you. Taylor?**

**Taylor: Don't make me do it! Make one of the guys!**

**LeFay: You're right. Ed! Help us out here.**

**Ed: I can't.**

**LeFay: And why not?**

**Ed: Cause I don't know what a dominatrix is either.**

**LeFay and Taylor: *facepalms***

**LeFay: Okay, fine. We'll find someone else.**

**Taylor: We'll get Mustang to tell them. *drags Ragan and Ed into Mustang's office***

**Mustang: *looks up from paperwork* What's going on here?**

**LeFay: Tell these boys what a dominatrix is.**

**Mustang: *drops pen***

**LeFay and Taylor: *walks out***

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 39<strong>

**Boss Fight!**

(-Taylor-)

_An hour earlier…_

A pitch, black void surrounded me, ensnaring me in its darkness. I floated in an absent sea, weightless. The dream like quality of this space would have led me to believe that I was sleeping had I not known any better. No, this place was not a pleasant dream. Nor was it the world I knew. It felt like somewhere in between, like I was dead and reduced to nothing more than a wandering spirit.

"I can't be dead." I whispered to myself. Fate hadn't killed me. He had done something to me, yes, but hadn't killed me. He had activated my tattoos. The last time he had done that it had sent me to Truth's realm. This differed in a way yet it felt vaguely similar.

"Am I in the gate?" I wondered aloud, not expecting an answer.

"Correct," a collage of voices answered me.

"Truth. I should have known." I murmured in greeting. "If I'm really in the gate then where are all of those flashy images?"

"You do not see them because I will it so." Truth answered with a light chuckle. "This is simply a means of travel."

A shock ran through me, "Am I going home?"

"No. This is not the gate leading to your home world. This is the gate of the world you've been living in for the past months."

"Oh…" I said softly, not really understanding. "How did I get here?"

Truth laughed again, "You're persistent for answers, aren't you? There's no reason that I should give you what you want, especially if there's nothing for you to give in return."

"Humor me," I smiled into the darkness. "If you do I'll put on a good show. That's all I am to you anyway, right?" The silence that followed made me think it was considering. I got impatient quickly so I decided to think out loud and see if Truth would clear up some of my theories. "Fate said that my tattoos were a connection to the gate. Whenever they're activated it summons the gate."

"Correct." Truth replied in an amusing tone. "It's also a way for me to keep tabs on you."

I laughed humorlessly, "No wonder my stalker always seems to find me. Isn't that cheating?"

Suddenly, flashes of light sparked in the distance. Then images passed me in a steady stream, almost gentle compared to the last time I had traveled through the gate. I saw when I was a little girl dressed in my Sunday best with my mom taking pictures of me. Then I saw my friends from school at a football game where we cheered for our team. Sparse flashes of world events came to me, like wars and such but those were brief. Lastly, a swift showing of Ed and Al's lives was presented to me. All of these were events of the past. I watched them flow by me as black hands pulled me toward an unknown destination.

After those went away I saw something peculiar. Two faces peered at me in recognition. One was a gray-eyed Alphonse. The other was the curious gaze of Hughes. Those went by just as quickly but stayed within my mind for the longest.

"Where are you taking me?" I demanded, having had enough of this.

"To your next challenge." Truth answered vaguely. "Let's see how well you do."

The next thing I was aware of was the hands pulling me through a bright, white light. It blinded me with its intensity. For several minutes I couldn't make heads or tails of my whereabouts.

When my eyes adjusted, I realized what my eyes were seeing. The sky, with a fading light that could only be from the setting sun. This meant that the gate no longer held me. I was free.

I sat up carefully, the pounding in my head making me dizzy as I took in my surroundings. The floor beneath me was concrete that spread out in a square formation before dropping off to the open air. Puzzled, I stood up and twisted around in a circle. A building. I stood on the roof of a building in some unknown city that was definitely _not_ Rush Valley.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." I said to myself. I must have traveled through the gate to another city, and a big one at that. The only place I had seen in Amestris that was this big was Central.

"Wait, this is Central!" I exclaimed, staring at the military headquarters a few blocks away. Wow, if it wasn't for the general creepiness of the gate I would use it for travel more often.

With that in mind, I was reminded of what I saw in the gate. Those images of Al and Hughes… The Al I had seen had to be Al's body, while the other must have been Hughes's soul. They were trapped there until they could be retrieved. This certainly made things interesting.

"Well, look what we have here." a voice chuckled.

I spun around on my heel and came face to face with the shape shifting homunculus. "Envy."

He smiled, "It's a pleasure to see you again. After all the trouble the pipsqueak went through to save you, you come to us. That's rich."

"I didn't come to you." I retorted. "At least, not intentionally."

"Intentional or not, we're not letting you slip away this time." Lust promised in her seductive voice as she walked out of the door leading inside of the building. A cold chill shivered down my spine as I saw Gluttony follow close behind her. The memory of my torture renewed in strength as the fear locked my legs. Here I stood, a lone girl facing three deadly Homunculi. To say that the situation was bad would be a major understatement.

"So, what brings you guys to Central?" I choked out nervously, hoping to distract them.

Envy's grin turned sadistic, "Wouldn't you like to know, brat?" The three of them encroached further. They would not be distracted by silly questions.

_Think Taylor! Think! You can't fight them. So what's there left to do?_ Run. That was the only option I had left. My only hope of surviving this confrontation would be to make it to the military HQ. Surely someone there would help me. But I'd need a head start. If they would just look away for a moment I could use that to my advantage. So what would make a homunculus look away from their prey? Another threat perhaps.

I used one of Ed's distraction methods. I looked past the Homunculi and shouted, "Ed! Al! Do it now!"

Amazingly, they fell for it. They turned to find where Ed and Al were, assuming needless defensive stances. With their eyes averted, I bolted. I sprinted to the edge of the roof and, without thinking about it, leaped across to the neighboring building.

"Hey! Get back here!" Envy shouted in fury. I could hear them fall into pursuit.

With my heart racing, I jumped from one roof to the next. Luckily, all of the buildings were cramped together. It enabled me to escape like this. All I had to do was continue on like this and I would make it to Central HQ. It couldn't be a coincidence that HQ was located so close to where I met the Homunculi. They must have been stationed nearby to keep watch and Truth had dropped me off by them. Thanks so much Truth…bastard.

A searing pain flared in my shoulder as something shot out above it. One of Lust's fingers had grazed the skin there. It caused me stumble but I persevered. I ran on, moving from left to right in an effort to dodge Lust's attacks.

The end of the roof I was running on ended too far away from the next building. I wouldn't make the jump. It forced me to use other methods…methods involving alchemy. I clapped my hands and made a concrete bridge to the closest building. I didn't have enough time to worry about the quality of the structure. The Homunculi were gaining on me.

Panting from exertion, I high tailed it over the bridge. The concrete below me shook under my weight. That wasn't a good sign…

The bridge collapsed under my feet, forcing me to jump the rest of the distance. I barely caught onto the ledge of the roof. Pulling myself up, I caught sight of my pursuers. They were speeding on the building I had just left and were about to jump over.

"This is not my day." I mumbled to myself and pushed my legs forward. It was getting harder and harder to move them. I knew that my steam was running out and that I wouldn't be able to go on much longer.

This was the last stretch. The massive structure of HQ loomed before me and all I had to do was get from this building to that one. Simple, right? Wrong! The distance between the buildings was nothing to scoff at. A simple bridge may not cut it.

Envy lunged forward, about to move in on me. It was now or never.

I clapped my hands and touched the floor beneath me. The ground shot out in the last second and propelled me forward, leaving Envy kicking air. I rode the alchemy induced concrete, intending to reach the roof. That plan ended with a swipe of Lust's fingers. The ground beneath me crumbled, my momentum still sending me forward. From the rate I was falling I wouldn't make it to the roof, but the window I was barreling towards wasn't out of the question.

I had enough time to think, _This is gonna hurt_, before I crashed into the glass.

* * *

><p>(-Mustang-)<p>

He had been busily filling out his paperwork in his office when an object came crashing through the window. Startled, Mustang promptly fell out of his chair. After the initial shock wore off, he peeked over his desk to see what had surprised him.

The colonel's eyes widened exponentially when he recognized Taylor Riley under the shards of broken glass. She sat up carefully, grimacing as she did. She opened one eye to view the room. Her other eye opened when she caught sight of Mustang's head poking out from behind his desk. Bewilderment filled her expression and Mustang realized how embarrassing he must appear. He stood up in an effort to regain his dignity just as the door to his office slammed open.

"Sir!" Hawkeye called from the doorway, firearm ready for shooting. The rest of his staff hovered behind her in the same readied stance.

"I'm alright, Lieutenant." he assured her calmly. "I've just received an unexpected visitor, is all."

Her eyes scanned the room, landing on the disheveled girl.

"S'up?" Taylor asked nonchalantly.

Hawkeye's gaze remained wary as she asked, "What's going on?"

Taylor laughed nervously as she stood with caution, "I've, uh, seemed to run into a bit of trouble. Do you think you guys could help me?"

Mustang cocked an eyebrow questioningly, "Does this trouble explain how you managed to come flying through my office window?"

She scratched her head, "Well, you see "

The girl was cut off as she was speared through. A long object protruded from her abdomen, blood seeping around the area. She looked down in shock, a gurgled gasp escaping her lips.

"What the hell?" Mustang exclaimed in a rare moment of lost composure.

With no explanation, Taylor was lifted into the air and pulled out of the broken window. A short scream followed her departure.

The rest of the people left in the office scrambled over to peer out the window. Down below, Taylor laid on the ground circled by three figures dressed in black. The odds were out of the young girl's favor. Whatever suspicions the colonel may have about Taylor he couldn't deny the fact that she needed help.

He began to bark out orders, "Hawkeye, cover us from here. The rest of you, come with me."

"Sir!" they all saluted him and dove into action. The men left as Hawkeye retrieved her rifle and took up a position at the broken window. As Mustang and his men ran down halls and stairs to get outside, Mustang slipped his ignition gloves on in preperation of the battle to come.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"There are too many eyes here. Get her and let's go." Lust ordered.

I shimmied backwards on the ground, my efforts of escaping pitiful. Gluttony reached out for me with his meaty paws. He gripped my shoulders and I reacted swiftly, grabbing his wrists with my bloody hands. This allowed me to use alchemy to deconstruct his hands. Gluttony let out a strangled cry as he fell back.

I sat there, prepared to defend myself as I warned, "Stay back or I'll do the same to you."

Envy scowled, "I've had about enough of this." He swept in faster than my eyes could follow and hit me square in the face. It knocked me onto my back, jolting the pain in my stomach. Envy took advantage of my new position and stomped on my midsection, driving the pain from my wound to insufferable lengths. Black dots danced in my vision as I stared up at Envy.

Then the weight abruptly lifted as Envy was thrown back by an unseen force. I blinked my eyes in an attempt to clear them.

Envy stood up angrily, "Alright, who the hell thinks they can shoot me and get away with it?"

Shoot? Someone shot him? Did that mean someone was helping me?

Holding my stomach, I sat up painfully to see Envy get shot again.

"Up there." Lust said as she looked up. I followed her gaze to see a blonde headed figure stationed at the window of Mustang's office. Though my vision was still blurry, I was willing to bet that person up there was Hawkeye.

Lust attacked Hawkeye, shooting her fingers up at the window. Hawkeye ducked out of the way. Lust frowned and glanced at Gluttony, "You're next meal is waiting up there."

Gluttony took the hint. With a vicious grin, he lumbered over to the building. He obviously intended to scale the wall and eat Hawkeye. I couldn't let that happen just because she was helping me!

Touching the ground, sparks flashed as I activated my alchemy. Vines grew from the grass and twisted around Gluttony's body. It wouldn't stop him but it was enough of a deterrent until more help arrived. Unsurprisingly, this help consisted of Roy Mustang and all the familiar faces that made up his staff.

Mustang wore a calm yet fierce expression as he addressed the Homunculi, "Back away from the girl and put your hands up."

"This just keeps getting better and better." Lust remarked sarcastically.

"I say we kill them and leave already." Envy suggested darkly.

A couple of the men grimaced slightly at Envy's malicious threat but their aim on their guns never wavered. I had to give them brownie points for that.

With some of his ego showing through, Mustang declared, "You come onto a military facility and injure a civilian and think we'll just let you leave? Further more, your belief that you could take us down so easily with only three of you is highly insulting."

Lust crossed her arms and smiled, "You don't know who you're dealing with, do you?"

The colonel met her gaze unflinchingly, "Why don't you and your friends come with us quietly and you can tell me all about it?"

"I don't think so." Envy replied.

"Be careful! They're Homunculi!" I cried, unable to stay silent any longer. I had to warn them of what Envy and the others were before things got out of hand.

Mustang blanched, "They're what?"

"Boss?" Havoc questioned his superior as he shifted uneasily. He, nor the other men, was an alchemist so they weren't caught up on the lingo. Mustang, however, was an alchemist and knew what Homunculi were. I'm not sure when he or Ed and Al found out about the Homunculi but they had known about them ever since I had arrived in Amestris. He knew they were real, though it appeared he had never faced one in the flesh.

"So you were the ones Fullmetal encountered in laboratory five." Mustang concluded.

Envy put his hands up, shook his head, and laughed, "Guilty as charged."

"And so you know you can't kill us." Lust commented.

"That's not true!" I said. Mustang's sharp gaze turned to me and I met it as I spoke determinedly, "If they die enough times then their regenerative powers will be pushed to their limits."

"Shut up, brat!" Envy snarled, stomping towards me. As he approached me, Mustang raised his hand.

I didn't give him enough time to reach me. I touched the ground again, this time forming a thick wall between me and the rest of the crowd. Barely a second had passed when flames engulfed the area around my wall. I huddled behind it, the heat wafting over me. Mustang sure wasn't holding back.

Suddenly, a human fireball dashed around my wall and charged towards me. Frozen in fear, I watched the homunculus close in at a frightening speed. My body was too trapped in its own terror to do anything to protect itself.

A shot rang out as blood spurted from the figure's leg. He toppled over, causing some of the flames to burn out. Now that he had stopped momentarily I recognized that it was Gluttony I was seeing. He regained his footing and growled at me, about to come at me again. Another shot hit him directly in the head. I glanced passed him up to the broken window. Hawkeye stood there, preparing the next bullet to be fired. God bless her.

I heard more gunfire coming from the other side of my wall along with more flame attacks. It sounded like the men weren't fairing any better than me. But more assistance came in the form of more soldiers. This was the military headquarters after all. I shouldn't be surprised that they had noticed a battle going on in their own backyard. They drew their weapons and began firing on the enemy as well.

Despite a hail of bullets raining down on him, Gluttony trudged in my direction. I fought to get up but my body acted against me. The one time that I got to both of my feet my legs buckled and my body succumbed to a coughing fit. The strong taste of copper entered my mouth as I coughed up blood. I experienced black dots in my vision again and knew that I was perilously close to passing out. If I tried moving again that possibility would become reality. But I couldn't stay here and get eaten by Gluttony either! Nor did I have it in me to perform any big transmutations. My energy was too low for that.

_Then a small one will have to do_, I thought to myself. With Gluttony a few feet away, I transmuted the earth beneath me to form a dense sphere around me. Immediately, all light was shut out and the sounds of fighting became muted. I laid in my rock sphere, panting heavily as I clutched my stomach and felt waves of severe pain coming from the wound there. Lust had gotten me pretty good. If I didn't receive any medical attention soon I would bleed to death. Wonderful.

Then a horrible sound disturbed my thoughts: a crunching sound that could only be Gluttony chewing his way into my protective sphere. Gah! Didn't these guys ever give up?

Light filtered in around me as bits of rock were eaten away. Soon, I saw Gluttony's teeth as he chomped into the rock, devouring it at an alarming rate. When he created a large enough hole, which wouldn't be too long from now, there would be nothing to stop him from reaching me.

Even with being shot at, Gluttony managed to make a hole and stick his arm inside. I scurried back into the warped wall of the rock but the space inside of my sphere was practically nonexistent. He latched onto one of my legs and began pulling me out. I kicked and scratched at his arm, unwilling to leave my rock bubble. Frustrated, Gluttony tugged at my leg more his efforts combined with my floundering my knee was easily dislocated. I screamed out bloody murder at the new intense pain. My body hurt so much that it drowned out everything else, even my fear. In that moment, there was nothing else to define me but pain.

The pain I felt was so powerful that it took me a minute to realize that Gluttony wasn't holding onto my leg anymore. In fact, I could see him arguing with someone past the hole he had created. I saw wisps of dark green hair that I knew belonged to Envy. Their words came to me in jumbled sentences but I think I got the gist of it. Envy was wanting to retreat but Gluttony wanted to go after them. Envy had to force the other homunculus away. After that, I saw nothing.

_Did they really leave? Is it really over?_ I asked myself as tears streamed down my face in a mix of pain and relief. Distantly, I wondered what could make them run away. The thought was brief though as the constant agony wracked my battered body.

I'm not sure how many minutes had passed when the earthen shield that surrounded me disintegrated. I peered around with watery eyes to see many people in blue uniforms crowding the area. But one figure caught my attention right away.

"Al?" I croaked at the suit of armor. He must have used alchemy to deconstruct my sphere.

He crouched down beside me and if he had a face I could have seen how worried he was. "How bad are you hurt?" he asked me in concern.

I tried to answer him, failed, and had to swallow to try again, "Pretty bad."

He brushed my bangs away from my face and asked in a low voice, "Can't you heal yourself?"

I shook my head and whispered back, "No. Too many people."

He understood what I meant. Questions would arise if my injuries suddenly disappeared. I didn't want to be the one to explain to Mustang how that was possible.

"Is she okay?" someone asked from beside Al. It was Fuery.

"She needs to get to a hospital." Al told him.

Fuery nodded, "I'll inform the Colonel." Then he rushed off.

"What happened?" I asked as I turned back to Al.

Al thought for a moment, "You mean why did the Homunculi leave?" I nodded. "Somehow, the colonel was able to kill Lust."

I stared at him for a minute before laughing, "It figures. Lust always is the first to die. It doesn't matter what series you're in but she's the first to go."

"Taylor?" Al asked, worried by my hysterical laughter.

My giggling subsided as quickly as it had begun, "Sorry, Al." I shivered as chills went through my limbs. I must be going into shock.

"Glad to see you're alive." Mustang commented as he walked up to us.

"Me and you both." I smiled minimally.

He smirked and then nodded to Al, "Alphonse, pick her up and come with me. Hawkeye's waiting for us to drive us to the hospital."

Al did as he was told and lifted me as gently as possibly. The action still caused me to whimper. He trailed after Mustang as they hurried to a car. Hawkeye sat in the driver's seat, Mustang got in the passenger's seat, and Al and I occupied the back. There wasn't much room so Al had to sort of cradle me in his lap. He apologized but I didn't mind. The cool steel of his body helped allieviate the pain somewhat. Plus, his comforting presence soothed me. After all that I had been through it was nice to know that I was surrounded by people who would protect me.

"Lieutinent Hawkeye?" I asked in a weak voice.

Her amber eyes glanced at me in the rearview mirror before going back to the road, "Yes, Miss Riley?"

"Thanks for saving my ass back there." I said bluntly.

She actually smiled at my words, "There's no need to thank me."

"What am I? Chopped liver?" Mustang asked with an irritated expression.

I rolled my eyes but my tone was amused as I answered, "Thanks to you too, Mustang."

He grunted a reply and the car fell silent. As Hawkeye drove to the hospital, I kept my mind occupied with different thoughts in an attempt to ignore the pain in my body. There was one less homunculus now. Lust was gone forever, thanks to Mustang. It must have been difficult to accomplsih, seeing how the other Homunculi were there as well. Maybe the tide turned in our favor when Al showed up. Speaking of which, why was he there? Oh yeah, Ed said that he had come to Central. He must have been in the dorms nearby.

Al roused me out of my thoughts by saying, "Taylor, I thought you were in Rush Valley with Ed. Is he here with you?"

"No. Actually, he must be going crazy with worry right now. We got separated in Rush Valley when " I cut off before I could reveal too much. I had almost forgotten that there were extra ears listening to our conversation.

Al cocked his head to the side, "When what?"

"I…" I trailed off not knowing what to say. It was then that I had another coughing fit. The coughs were so harsh that more blood than the last time splattered my hands.

"Taylor!" Al exclaimed. I wanted to tell him not to worry, that I was alright. But the coughs continued and my vision began to blur. Obviously, I was _not_ alright.

"Lieutinent, step on it!" I heard Mustang urge Hawkeye.

I blacked out before we made it to the hospital.

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

He panicked when Taylor passed out in his arms. He worried that she had died but her labored breathing told him otherwise. The lieutinent sped down the streets of Central until they arrived at the hospital. It had only been a few minutes since they had left the military headquarters but it felt like an eternity.

They exited the vehicle and rushed inside. Taylor was whisked into an operating room right away, leaving Al with Colonel Mustang and Lieutinent Hawkeye. They were talking to a nurse at the moment so Al went to find a phone to use. Once he located one, he dialed the place his brother had called from not long ago. No one answered at first but, eventually, Winry picked up and asked who it was in a less than polite tone.

"Uh, Winry? It's me, Al. I have something to tell you."

A couple of minutes later Winry had run to get Edward. Once he got on the phone he demanded what was going on. Al explained to him in the best of his ability and Ed reciprocated and told him what had occurred about an hour ago with his and Taylor's encounter with the man that called himself Fate. They discussed this briefly and then Ed left to get ready to travel to Central. That meant Ed would be there within the night.

"Alphonse."

Al turned around to see Mustang standing behind him. The corners of his mouth were tugged downward, showing how unhappy his mood was.

"Explain to me everything you know about this situation and leave nothing out." Mustang demanded.

_Uh-oh_, Al thought.

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo, lots of action in this one. I absolutely can't wait for the next chapter! I've been planning it for months and even wrote parts of it a while back. It's gonna be so great! XD Also, you've probably noticed by now that I changed the summary for this story. I'm just wondering if it sounds better than the last one. What do you guys think?<strong>

**Ragan and Ed: *walks out of Mustang's office***

**LeFay: How'd it go?**

**Ragan: *blushes* How dare you say that I would be a...a...**

**Taylor: Dominatrix?**

**Ragan: *shudders* Don't say it! *walks away***

**LeFay: *looks to Ed* What about you, Ed? You seem to be awfully quiet.**

**Ed: I'm just thinking.**

**LeFay: About what?**

**Ed: *looks at Taylor in consideration***

**Taylor: Ed, why are you looking at me like that?**

**Ed: *evil grin* No reason.**


	40. Chapter 40

**I'M BAAAAAAAACK! I know I said I wasn't posting the next chapter until next weekend but I got my compute fixed yesterday. Yay! So I worked all afternoon today to write this chapter. It helped a lot that I had already written a lot of this months ago. XD**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 40<strong>

**Goofyness Galore!**

(-Mustang-)

"You can't be serious," Mustang uttered. It couldn't be true. The whole idea was completely absurd!

Alphonse nodded solemnly, "I'm telling you the truth."

This could be a lie. Taylor Riley had become a close friend of the Elrics after all. They could be covering for her to protect her. But this was Alphonse, the complete opposite of Edward. Ed could surely lie to the colonel but he never thought Al would. Plus, it actually made sense to some extent. This would explain why no records could be found of Taylor ever living in Amestris or even being born. Her being a spy from one of the opposing countries could explain that as well but her assisting them in the skirmish this afternoon rejected that possibility. She didn't have to warn them about the Homunculi and yet she did. She also seemed to know more than she had ever let on. Clearly, Taylor was deeper into things than he had imagined.

Mustang slumped down in a nearby chair, pinching the bridge of his nose as his head throbbed. This was a bit much, even for him.

"Colonel?" Al asked, shifting anxiously while waiting for him to respond.

"…You do realize Alphonse that if any of the higher ups get word of this then Miss Riley will be taken into custody and be at the mercy of their interrigations? That is, if they brought themselves to believe what you're saying is true."

Al nodded again, "That's why we didn't tell anyone. We didn't want her to get hurt."

Mustang glanced up at him, doubt continuing to flicker in his onyx eyes, "You're certain of this?"

"Yes. Taylor's from the other side of the gate."

His thoughts spun in dizzying circles as the boy's words settled in his mind. Mustang wasn't a man of much faith. He never gave much thought to whether an afterlife existed. He had goals to fulfill in his life and had put forth all of his efforts to becoming Fuhrer and bettering the State. There was no time to sit around idly and wonder about such things. His mind was focused on the present. Besides, being an alchemist he tended to look at things from a more rational perspective. Though, what Alphonse was telling him had changed his views on life forever.

"Another world…" Mustang murmured to himself. "Is this why the Homunculi are after her?"

Al deliberated on it but then shook his head, "I can't be sure if they know about that or not but they consider her a sacrifice." He went on to inform Mustang of what all of this detailed.

"This just keeps getting better and better," the colonel murmured sarcastically. "When Fullmetal arrives the three of you will be under the watch of me and my men from now own. That way we can protect you from the Homunculi and we can make sure you don't go off doing something stupid."

"But Colonel " Al began to protest.

"This isn't open for negotiation," he said firmly, standing up. "You boys should have told me everything as soon as you found out about Miss Riley. In fact, I should have Fullmetal court-martialed for this."

"We didn't want anyone else to get hurt," Al said, somewhat sadly.

Mustang let out a sigh, "Alphonse, you and Edward have to realize some day that all adults aren't the enemy. You can go to people with your problems, people like me. You'll do well to remember that next time."

"Colonel!"

The two of them turned at Hawkeye's approach. With her was a doctor.

"What is it Lieutenant?" Mustang asked warily.

Instead of her answering the doctor did, "My name is Doctor Walsh. I'm the one seeing over the patient you brought in."

"Did something happen? Is she alright?" Al asked desperately.

"Well, that's just the thing," the doctor answered in a puzzled tone. "She's perfectly fine."

"That's great news! Thank you doctor!" Al replied gratiously.

"Hold on," Mustang said. "Miss Riley was admitted only an hour ago. With her condition you'd need more time than that to work on her."

Doctor Walsh nodded, stroking his beard as if it were a nervous habit, "You'd be correct. We had administered a sedative to make sure she remained unconscious then I began working on her. When she came into the hospital she had lacerations in her shoulder and abdominal region, as well as a dislocated knee, several broken ribs, and multiple minor cuts and bruises. But as I was seeing to her, well…her wounds disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Mustang replied incredulously. "That's impossible! Wounds don't simply vanish."

"If I hadn't have been there I wouldn't believe it myself," he nodded. "But I saw it with my own eyes. Red sparks flashed over her injuries and healed them. I don't know how it happened or how such a thing is possible but that's what I saw. The nurses attending can tell you the same thing."

"Oh! Colonel, can I speak to you for a moment?" Al asked. Before Mustang could respond Al was dragging him down the hall and out of earshot of the confused doctor.

"What's going on Alphonse?" Mustang demanded.

"What Doctor Walsh said was true. Taylor's able to heal herself."

He crossed his arms, "You better have a hell of an explanation for this one."

Al laughed nerously, "Well, you see, when Taylor crossed the gate she kind of picked up an ability. She can use alchemy to heal herself. I've seen her do it before."

"Medical alchemy takes decades of diligent practice to perfect and even then not many alchemists can do it. You're telling me this sixteen year old girl is not only able to do this, but can do it so effortlessly that she can perform it in her sleep?"

"I know how it sounds but it's true. I don't think she realizes she's doing it when she's asleep. I think it's a subconscious reaction when her body's injuried."

Mustang still didn't want to believe it but, then again, if he could believe that this girl was from another world then why not this? The whole thing made his head ache. "Honestly, if I didn't know any better I would think she was a homunculus."

They walked back to Hawkeye and the waiting doctor. Mustang smoothed things over with him and told Walsh that he and his staff were not to speak of this to anyone. With a pale expression the doctor agreed.

"But what do you want me to do with the patient?" he asked.

"Keep her for observation in case anything else needs to be resolved. That will be all."

Doctor Walsh nodded and left. Hawkeye turned to her superior and asked sternly, "Care to explain what that was about, Sir?" Her hand settled on her firearm and Mustang knew she meant business. Then again, this was Hawkeye. She always meant business.

Mustang rubbed the back of his neck tiredly, "This is gonna be a long night."

* * *

><p>(-Al-)<p>

He sat in the hospital room beside the occupied bed. Taylor had woken up sometime after they had put her in here and Al was glad but there was just one thing…

Taylor was giggling at nothing in particular and humming softly to herself.

Al sweat dropped. If only the doctor had waited a little longer to give her those pain medications. Now, even though she didn't need them, Taylor was under the effects of the drugs. Overall, she was acting loopy and making Al very uncomfortable.

Someone knocked on the door and, without waiting for an answer, the person opened it.

"Colonel," Al greeted the man. "How'd it go with Lieutenant Hawkeye?"

Mustang nodded slowly, "I didn't get shot so I'd say that's a plus. How's she doing?"

"How's she doing?" Taylor repeated, mimicking his voice.

Al chuckled nervously, "The doctor gave her some medicene for the pain when she came in."

He nodded at the explanation for Taylor's odd behavior. Then he asked, "When's Fullmetal arriving?"

"I talked to Brother on the phone earlier. He should get here soon."

"Good."

Suddenly, Taylor asked urgently, "Al?"

"What is it?" Al asked. He worried that she had not healed completely or something and was in pain.

With wide eyes, Taylor asked, "Where's my arm?"

"Uh, it's right there," Al pointed.

She looked down and sighed in relief, "I thought I lost it."

Al began to wonder how much medicine the doctor gave her.

"Hey, Al?" Taylor asked again. "Where's Mustang? I wanted to thank him."

"I'm here," Mustang said patiently.

Taylor turned to him. Her eyes brightened and she laughed. She closed her eyes and muttered something.

"What?" Al asked, leaning forward to hear her better.

Then she shouted loudly, "ROY MUSTANG IS DEAD SEXY!"

Al glanced at the Colonel. He appeared slightly uncomfortable but mostly amused. His expression changed to complete unease when Taylor added, "In a mini skirt."

"Um…" Al didn't quite know what to say to that.

Mustang cleared his throat and said, "Inform me when your brother arrives." He swiftly left the room, leaving Al with Taylor.

Taylor stared at Al with hazy eyes, "You have a brother?"

Al sighed, "Yes, you know him, remember? Ed?"

Abruptly, Taylor became frantic, "Al, where's Ed?"

"Don't worry. He'll be here soon," Al assured her. The sooner Ed got there the better.

"Okay," Taylor smiled, satisfied. She closed her eyes and seemed to be going to sleep.

_Five minutes later…_

"Al?" Taylor asked in a frightened tone.

"I'm here," he comforted her.

She stared at him, uncomprehending. "Where's Al?"

"Um, I'm right here."

Taylor sat up, "You're in _there_?"

"Yeah."

Her expression became horrified, "Oh, my God! You ate Al!" She leaned over and talked to Al's chest plate, "Don't worry, Al! I'll get you out of there!"

Al sighed wearily. This was getting worse.

Taylor began banging on the suit of armor, "Give me Al! Give 'em back you big jerk!"

"I am Al," he tried to calm her.

Taylor reached up and removed his helmet. Peering in, she asked, "Al?" Then she gasped, "You digested him!"

"I'm okay. I'm right here."

Taylor sat back and began to cry, "No you're not! You got ate up!" She started to sob.

Panicked, Al tried to soothe her with words. In the middle of his reassurances, Taylor stopped and looked up.

"Al?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's my arm?"

Al sweat dropped.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Ed, slow down. You're body hasn't been given a chance to heal yet. You're gonna tire yourself out," Winry admonished.

Said boy ignored her, marching down the streets of Central with an air of determination. They reached the hospital quickly at the rate he was going.

They found out Taylor's room number and went down the hallways of the hospital to search for it. He found the correct door and, resisting the urge to kick it down, knocked.

The door cracked open and Al could be seen.

"Brother! Winry!" he exclaimed.

"Hey," Ed said absentmindedly, trying to peek past Al into the room.

Al blocked his view and stepped out into the hall, closing the door.

"How is she?" Ed asked impatiently.

"I should warn you…" Al began.

Ed steeled himself for the worst as Winry asked, "Is it bad?"

"Oh! The doctor checked her over and she's fine now…"

Ed sensed there was something more, "What else?"

"Um…" Al shifted anxiously, "The doctor gave her some pain medication so she's pretty out of it."

Ed nodded solemnly, ready to see for himself.

"She's been asking for you," Al added. "She'll be glad to see you." He stepped aside, allowing Ed access to the door. Then he went to Winry, "Hey! I bet you're hungry after the long train ride! Let's go get you something to eat."

"But I want to check on Taylor," Winry protested in confusion.

Al shook his head, "Trust me Winry…you don't want to see her like this. Let's come back when she's sober."

Ed let them leave and entered the room. Inside, Taylor laid in the bed propped up by pillows. Her eyes were closed, probably sleeping. Ed went to her bedside, looking her over.

She must have heard him because her eyelids lifted and she glanced at him. Her lips spread in a wide smile, "Eddy!"

"Hey, Taylor," he said, deciding not to comment on the strange nickname she had given him.

"I missed you." she told him.

"You did?" Ed asked, interested.

She nodded with an odd expression, "Al said Wait, where's Al?"

"He went with Winry to get something to eat."

She shook her head and seemed to be panicking.

"What is it?" he asked, hovering over her.

"We have to save Al! The metal man ate him and he already digested him. Now we have to find where he pooped him out!"

Ed raised his eyebrow. Al was right, she was out of it. She wasn't making any sense.

Taylor stopped and became distracted. She stared at Ed's arm.

"What?" he asked, her staring starting to creep him out.

Her only answer was to reach over and grab hold of his arm. She tugged and, since his arm was attached to him, the rest of him followed as well.

"What are you doing?" he asked, now sitting on the bed beside the loopy girl.

She began inspecting his flesh hand as if it were the most interesting thing she'd ever seen.

"Ed," she said, sounding serious.

"Yeah?" he replied, wondering what was up.

"…I want bacon."

Ed rolled his eyes, "Okaaay."

"I'm hungry."

"Fine, I'll go get you some bacon." He tried to get up but her grip on him stayed firm.

"But I already have bacon."

"You do?" he asked, confused.

She nodded. She lifted his hand towards her face. For a moment, Ed thought she was going to kiss it. That thought went away quickly as Taylor's teeth chomped down on his hand.

"Yow!" Ed yelled in surprise and snatched his hand away. "What'd you do that for?"

She grinned, "You're tasty bacon."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE'D FIT IN A FRYING PAN?"

"Chill out, Eddy," she sighed. "I'm not gonna let the frying pan get you."

Ed covered his face with his hand. He was going to find that doctor and ask what he had given Taylor so that he could make sure she never got it again.

"Ed?"

"What?"

"Where's my arm?"

"What?" he looked up in alarm and glanced at her arms. They looked fine and definitely there. "It's there."

"Where?" she asked, scanning the room for a missing arm.

Ed sighed and picked up her arm to show her.

"Oh," she said and smiled. "I've been looking for that…Ed?"

"Yeah?"

"Where've you been?"

Ed felt a pang of guilt at the question, "I've been looking for you."

"But I'm here." Then she thought about it for a moment. "I am here, right?"

"Yes, you're here."

"Yay!" she sang. She glanced down at herself and began patting her stomach.

"What? Are you hurting?" Ed asked.

She shook her head and lifted up her shirt to reveal the skin underneath, "Aha!"

"Uh…"

Taylor giggled and pointed at her bellybutton, "I've got a hole in my tummy! Hey, what are all these black things?"

"Your tattoos."

"Oh, no! I can't have tattoos! Mom's going to kill me! But when did I get them?"

Ed shrugged, not having the patience to explain to her.

"Did Asia get to me in my sleep?"

Ed didn't even ask. He was tired of trying to understand her.

"Are there more?" she wondered, raising her shirt even higher.

Ed blushed a deep crimson and pulled her shirt back down, "Let's keep those covered up, 'kay?"

"Stop it!" Taylor tried to push him away and pull her shirt back up. Ed had to keep her from doing so. She stopped fighting him suddenly and asked, "Do you have a bellybutton?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I HEY!"

"Let me see!" she attempted to pull his shirt up. Now Ed was fighting to keep _his_ shirt down.

"Knock it off!" he tried to get her to quit but she was persistent.

"Do you have a hole in your belly too?" she giggled. Then she went back to pushing up her shirt, "Like I do?" She kept switching back and forth, going to her stomach to Ed's. He could barely keep up.

The door opened, drawing Ed's attention. Taylor, unconcerned by whoever it was, took advantage of Ed's distacted state. "Ha!" she cried, lifting Ed's shirt.

"Cut it out!" Ed growled, fixing his clothes.

"Fullmetal, if you're busy I can come back later."

Ed turned to see Mustang smirking by the door. Great, just what he needed.

"No, I was just "

"Mustang!"

The men turned to stare at Taylor.

With a determined look, she spoke, "I dub thee, scrambled eggs. Yes! Now my breakfast is almost complete!"

"I think your brain is scrambled," Ed commented.

"I can see you haven't gotten any better since the last time I saw you," Mustang observed the girl.

"I haven't gotten better?" Taylor asked worriedly. "My mom's gonna be so sad. Where is she? Where's mom?"

"Um, she's not here," Ed said.

Taylor nodded, "That's right. I forgot she's in another world.

Ed stiffened. Mustang didn't know that Taylor was from the other side. Would he read too much into her statement or would he write it off as a sign of her loopiness?

"I see," Mustang said, eyeing Taylor as if she were crazy. Good. He thought it was just the medicine making her say things.

"You know, Mustang," Taylor began, "In my world, you have a major fan base."

"Oh really," he went along with it.

"Uh-huh," she nodded. "A _huge_ fan base."

Mustang smirked, "It must be a good world then."

"Yep," Taylor smiled. "But Ed's fan base is way bigger."

Mustang's smirk wilted and Ed caught himself smiling smugly.

Then, Taylor's face blanked out as she considered something. "Ed's is bigger," she giggled.

Ed covered his face with his hand. He couldn't take much more of this."

"We'll discuss the matter of Taylor's world later, Fullmetal," Ed heard Mustang say and the door opened as he left.

Ed nodded absently. Then his head shot up and he stared at the closed door. Mustang…he knew! But how?

The door opened again and Al entered with Winry right behind him. At first, relief washed over Ed, but then he realized the only way Mustang could have found out about Taylor.

"Alphonse!" Ed roared.

Al immediately cowered, "I'm sorry, Brother! I had no choice! It looked like it was gonna rain outside and I Wait, what are you talking about?"

"I was talking about…" Ed glanced at a confused looking Winry and then back to Al. "I was talking about you telling Mustang about Taylor. But I presume you're talking about another stray you found."

"Uh, I, uh," Al stammered. Then he straightened up, "Coming!" Then he ran out of the room.

Ed yelled after him, "You idiot, no one was calling for you!"

"Ed," Winry began. "…What is Taylor doing?"

He glanced to where Winry was staring at. Taylor sat on the bed poking her bellybutton in amusment.

Ed smacked his face, "Don't ask."

"Fine then, I'll ask about something else. What was that about with you and Al?"

"Just talking business," Ed answered vaguely.

"Something about Taylor," Winry guessed. "You're up to something again, aren't you?"

"It's nothing, Winry. Just the damn Colonel getting nosy."

Winry put her hands on her hips, "It's the same thing every time with you guys. You never tell me anything." Then she whacked him with her wrench.

"Ow! That hurt, damn it!" Ed shouted.

"It was suppose to!" Winry yelled back, marching out of the room and slamming the door behind herself.

Rubbing his head, Ed turned to look at Taylor. He expected her to laugh or something, considering her loopy state, but she just stared at him with a blank expression.

"What?" Ed asked.

"You upset her pretty bad." she pointed out.

"Gee, and here I thought she hit me with her wrench because she loved me," he said, rolling his eyes and slumping back down on the bed.

"But she does love you," Taylor stated.

"She what?" Ed asked, looking at her.

Taylor giggled, "You're so stupid. I thought you knew Winry loves you. She loves you and Al so much. You guys are like that thing that a group of people are when they live in the same house and celebrate holidays together."

"A family?" Ed supplied the word.

"Yeah! That thing! Those things are great! But seriously Ed, she loves you guys. Okay?"

Ed sighed, "Yeah, yeah."

Taylor tugged on his arm, "No, you don't understand. She _loves_ you guys! You've got to get your act together!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked irritated, jerking his arm away from her.

"She's your family, Eddy. You've got to be more honest with her. You can't always close yourself off from her. I know you guys don't want to hurt her but it hurts her more when she thinks you can't tell her what's on your mind. And it wouldn't kill you to pick up the phone and call her once and a while. At least, I don't think phones kill people. If they do they're hiding the bodies really well."

"You're getting off topic," Ed pointed out.

Taylor shook her head, "Right. Anyway, go talk to her."

"What, now?"

"Yes! Go apologize! Tell her you love her too! Talk to her! Something!"

"Alright, alright! I get it!" he surrendered and got up to leave.

"Wait! Wait!" Taylor called back.

"What?"

She held her arms out, "Don't I get a hug first?"

Ed's brows rose, "Uh, why?"

Taylor pouted, "Cause I wanna hug. Please Ed?"

"Make up your mind. Do you want me to go talk to Winry or not?" he asked in annoyance.

Taylor's pout became more pronounced and her eyes drooped in sadness. Wet droplets gathered under her eyelashes. "I just wanted a hug."

Any anger in him died right then. The last thing he had wanted was to make Taylor cry. He held out his arm, "Fine. I'll give you a stupid hug."

Taylor crossed her arms and looked away from him, "No, I don't want a hug from you."

"What?" Ed said in astonishment.

"You don't want to hug me so why should I hug you? Meanie!"

"You were just begging to hug me a minute ago and now you're refusing?"

"Yes!"

"Well too bad! I've made up my mind and I'm going to hug you!"

"No! I don't wanna!"

"I'm going to hug you, damn it, and that's final!" he screamed. Then he sat on the bed once again to wrap his arm around Taylor.

Her mood transformed rapidly again as she cheered, "Yay!" and threw her arms around Ed.

"I swear, you're too much for me sometimes," Ed sighed deeply.

Taylor paid him no mind, snuggling into his embrace. The situation was made even more awkward when she said, "You smell good."

"Uh, thank you?" Ed said. Goosebumps broke out on his skin as Taylor nuzzled his neck, making him shiver.

"I love you Ed," she said in a whisper.

Ed felt a weird flutter in his stomach and a blush rose to his cheeks, "You wha…you what?"

"I love you," she said, so softly that Ed almost didn't hear it. Then a light snore came from her.

He gazed down at the girl that had fallen asleep. Then he settled her into a comfortable position on the bed and stood up. He glanced at her one last time.

"Yep, definitely too much for me," he repeated with a fond smile. Then he followed her advice and went to go straighten things out with Winry.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I woke up after God only knew how many hours of sleep. My head felt heavy and when I opened my eyes my vision swam. I rubbed at my eyelids and tried looking around again.

"Ed?" I stared groggily at the boy sitting beside the bed who seemed to have been dozing off.

He looked up at me and, with a yawn, said, "Hey."

"What's…going on?" I asked, confused. I couldn't recall what had happened or where I was. The last thing I remembered was being with Al and the others. "Where is everybody?"

"Oh, Winry left a while ago to work on my arm. Al should be back soon with some breakfast."

Breakfast? How long was I out? And why did I feel so weird?

"Ed, I feel funny."

"It's probably because of the medicene the doctor gave you." Ed waved it off.

I shook my head, "No, Ed. I feel…I feel…"

"Taylor?" Ed asked at my odd expression.

"…AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed jumped out of his seat and launched towards the bed. Taylor had begun flailing about wildly, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"Taylor! Taylor, what's wrong!" Ed asked frantically.

She couldn't answer him. She could only scream. Ed wondered if she were even aware that he was there anymore. She looked to be in agony.

Ed rushed to the door and threw it open, "Help! Someone get their ass in here and help, damn it!"

A couple of nurses responded and hurried in. They began checking Taylor over but they could barely do anything with her flailing about. Ed attempted to help them by holding Taylor down.

"What the hell is happening to her?" Ed demanded.

"An allergic reaction to the medicene she received?" one of the nurses guessed.

"That's bullshit! She looks like someone's killing her!"

"AAAAAAHHHH!" Taylor continued to screech over and over again. Ed didn't think she could get any louder but she did when her tattoos began to glow a bright red.

"What in the world?" the same nurse said. Startled, the two nurses stepped back.

"Taylor!" Ed yelled, staying by her side. A deep dread filled him as he watched Taylor writhe and scream.

"I I'll get the doctor!" one of the nurses said and flew out of the room. The other followed swiftly after.

Ed was forced to watch as Taylor's pain continued. It hurt to see her, crying as she was. He wanted to help her but he didn't know what the hell what going on!

Suddenly, Taylor stopped moving. Ed was about to sigh in relief until he saw her eyes.

"Taylor?" he asked.

She didn't answer. Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Though she continued to breathe, it was as if there were no soul behind those glazed eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, the story's almost over. Only one more chapter to go! Ha, I'm just kidding. We've got at least 15 more chapters left...I think.<strong>

**So, this chapter was one of my favorites cause I loved writing Taylor so loopy! XD I'm eager to hear what you guys think of this chappy so please leave a review.**


	41. Chapter 41

**Well, you guys, I've got only two more days of high school left. But of course the teachers give me a crap load of homework to do this weeked. I put it off so that I could work on this chapter AND I only started writing this last night AND I have stayed up half the night so that I could post it faster AND I've got this really nasty cold to boot and I feel like crap. I hope you guys appreciate it. Now eat your hearts out.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 41<strong>

**Truth always has something up its sleeve…**

(-Winry-)

Al, Winry, Lieutenant Havoc, and Lieutenant Breda loitered in Taylor's hospital room. Ed had left to see Colonel Mustang a while ago. Winry still remembered his panic stricken expression he wore when he had ran into the hospital cafeteria to get Al. She had been occupying one of the tables, using it as a substitute workbench to repair Edward's arm. As Ed whispered something frantically to Al, resulting in the two of them bolting out the door, Winry packed up her supplies in a flash and followed after them. The surprise awaiting her made her heart drop.

Taylor's doctor examined her thoroughly but could not find the cause of her catatonic state. She laid there, unmoving, with unseeing eyes staring at the ceiling. Tears glistened in Winry's own eyes as she took in her friend's condition. Along with the shock and sadness, anger flooded through her. Taylor didn't deserve this. The poor girl had been through enough already! It wasn't fair. Though, that's how most things in life were…

Ed and Al had went into a deep conversation about what had happened. Breda and Havoc, who had been stationed here to watch over the brothers and Taylor, listened in and commented every now and then. No one really knew what had caused this to Taylor, just that she began screaming relentlessly in pain and had went into some sort of coma after her tattoos had begun glowing. Winry was confused by that last part. How could tattoos glow? That didn't make any sense in the slightest. They were obviously keeping more from her but when she pried more Ed and Al were saved from the trouble of explaining when Havoc had come back into the room. He had left a couple of minutes ago to inform Mustang of what had occurred and now the Colonel requested Ed to come speak to him in person. Usually, Ed didn't like jumping at the commands of his superior officer but he did when he saw Winry's 'I'm gonna kill you if you don't tell me' expression.

Now, the four conscious people were left to wait idly until Edward returned. Having nothing better to do, Winry sat in a chair and worked on the automail arm. The sounds of metal clanking and screws being twisted were the only noises to fill the tense silence. She put her best effort into concentrating on the arm but her thoughts wandered back to Taylor and some secret she shared with the brothers. What could it be? Not only had Ed and Al neglected to tell her, but Taylor had also. Did this mean that whatever it was…was bad? If only they would let her in more. It hurt her to think that they felt they couldn't come to her with their problems. Winry appreciated Taylor's earlier suggestion she had given to Ed earlier to be more forthcoming. He had sought Winry out and talked to her and apologized. It made Winry smile. But not now. Things had certainly taken quite a turn.

Ed didn't return until midday. His mood hadn't lightened with his visit to Mustang. In fact, his frown was now deeper than ever before and the bags under his eyes practically screamed how tired he had become with worry.

"What did the boss tell you?" Havoc asked, fiddling with an unlit cigarrette.

Ed scratched his head in response, "That bastard gave me a bunch of crap like always."

"So he didn't have any ideas on what to do about Taylor?" Al asked, his hope sinking fast.

He shook his head, "Not really." Then he stretched his arms out and said, "Man it's stuffy in here. Come on Al. Let's go get some fresh air."

Al's glowing eyes scanned Ed and caught on quickly, "Alright, Brother."

As they went to leave, Winry jumped up, "Hey, I'll go with you guys."

Ed turned back to her and tried to smile, "That's okay Win "

"I'm coming with you!" Winry growled firmly. She held up her wrench for emphasis and, if that wasn't enough, the fire in her eyes would surely scorch them. Winry wasn't dumb. She knew what Ed was trying to do. He wanted to talk to Al away from the two older men and Winry damn sure wasn't letting her ignorant state go on for any longer. She would find out what was going on even if she had to wring their necks to do it.

A grimace tugged at Ed's mouth and he had no further objections. The three of them left, the two soldiers staring at the trio uncertainly. They were, after all, supposed to keep watch over them but someone had to stay with Taylor.

"Don't wander off to far! We don't want to have to come lookin for ya!" Breda called to them.

"Yeah, yeah," Ed called back over his shoulder.

The three of them exited out of the front doors of the hospital and found a bench to sit at near the entrance. Once seated, Ed took a deep breath and began, "Look Winry "

"Don't start with me, Ed," Winry cut him off. "I know you guys have been hiding something about her. Taylor's my friend too and I want to help but I can't do that if I don't even know what's going on. Besides, I'm tired of being left in the dark."

Ed's lips were parted slightly, not knowing what to say to her fierce look. So he settled for averting his eyes and muttering, "You wouldn't be able to help even if you knew."

Winry's hands clenched into fists as anger ran hot through her veins, "Why you little !

"It's not like that!" Al interjected. "What Brother's trying to say is that _we_ don't even know how to help her. This situation is kind of out of our hands."

"It doesn't mean that we won't find a way," Ed mumbled stubbornly.

The flames of Winry's ire burnt out with a sigh. She rubbed her temples, "I swear, everything is always so complicated with you guys."

"Brother?" Al looked questioningly at his brother, drawing Winry's attention back to the both of them.

Ed sat there and refused to look at either one of them.

"Come on, Brother. Winry's right, she deserves to know."

Finally, Ed glanced at him. A sigh escaped his lips, "Fine. But if Taylor gets mad this one is all on you."

"Okay!" Al said happily and turned to Winry. The story he told next was nowhere near what she had expected.

"Another world!" Winry screeched.

"SHHHH!" Al and Ed clamped their hands over her mouth.

"You idiot!" Ed whisper shouted at her, "We don't want the whole world to know."

"Please, Winry. We can't let this get out more than it already has." Al agreed. "If our enemies know about this then Taylor's going to be in a lot of danger."

She nodded, letting them know she wouldn't be so loud. They released her and Winry took this opportune moment to smack both of them with her wrench.

"Hey! What did you do that for?" Ed whined.

"For not telling me sooner!" Winry screamed at him.

"So does that mean you believe us?" Al asked.

"Not really! But you two deserved that. And honestly, can't you guys think up a more realistic lie?"

"But it's the truth!" Al protested.

"Yeah," Ed confirmed, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "What do you think Mustang wanted to chew me out for?"

"You mean, you didn't even tell him the truth at first?" she asked.

"Hell no! You think I'd want to give that pompous ass more to gripe about to me? The only reason he knows now is that Al opened his big mouth."

Al twidled his fingers nervously, "You know I don't do well under pressure."

Ed shook his head, "Nevermind. What's done is done. We need to focus on the situation at hand."

"You guys are serious about this?" Winry asked, still unwilling to believe. She was no alchemy expert but even she thought a person falling into this world from some other dimension was sketchy. The whole thing sounded like it belonged in some science fiction novel. But Ed and Al were sticking with this story. And there were a lot of questionable things that surrounded Taylor. Even so, Winry clung to her doubt until they provided undeniable evidence to her.

Ed nodded, "Her being here, and what happened to her this morning, they're connected to the alchemy tattoos covering her body which are connected to the gate. Something must have activated them."

"But no one was in the room with you," Al pointed out.

"You're right. Any of the other times her tattoos have been activated she's went to the gate. It's probable that's she's there now. But that Fate guy has been the one to send her those other times…"

"Do you think it's possible…" Al trailed off.

"What's possible?" Winry asked, barely keeping up with the conversation but interested none the less.

"Because of her connection to the gate, she could be connected to Truth itself."

Realization flashed through Ed's eyes, "And that means there's nothing stopping her from being at its mercy."

"Does that explain what happened to Taylor?" Winry asked.

"I think so," Al answered her. "Instead of her going to the gate with her body, Truth took only her soul instead."

Winry shook her head in horror, "That's not possible, is it? You can't just take a person's soul…" She looked at Al and she changed her words, "But then again, Ed bonded you to a suit of armor."

Al and Winry were alarmed by the sound of Ed slamming his fist into the wood of the bench, "Damn it! For all we know Truth could have sent her soul back to the other side. If that's the case then I don't think we'll ever get her back."

"Don't say that!" Winry nearly shouted at him. Ed looked up at her, blinking and taken aback. "She's counting on you. You can't give up."

He frowned, "I never said that I was giving up. I'm simply stating that the odds are stacked against us. Taylor's _soul_ was taken Winry."

"Then take it right back!" she stomped her foot stubbornly.

"Winry it's not that…simple…" Ed began to trail off as if an idea had come to him.

"My, I feel sorry for poor Alphonse, being stuck in between a lover's quarrel the way he is."

Everyone turned to see Gracia Hughes approaching them, an amused smile pulling up her lips as she suppressed her laughter.

Immediately, Winry and Ed's faces turned red as they denied it.

"As if!" Winry stammered.

"What guy would ever want to be her lover?" Ed said in embarrasment.

She narrowed her eyes sharply at him, "And what girl would ever like a bean like you?"

A vein throbbed in his forehead as he snapped, "A bean?"

"Yeah, a bean," Winry smirked.

Al, having had enough with their arguing, talked over their yelling, "So Mrs. Hughes, what brings you to the hospital?"

Gracia's quite chuckles at the fuming alchemist and his mechanic died down but a pleasant expression remained. "Well, I'm here to visit Maes," she answered.

The two arguing teens sobered at that. Winry looked to Gracia apologetically, "I heard about that. I'm sorry Mrs. Hughes." She remembered that day when they had been in Rush Valley and Ed had told her about Hughes being in a coma. She had never really gotten over her shock at the news. She still expected the happy family man to walk up and shove pictures of his daughter to helpless victims.

Gracia held up her hand at Winry's sorrowful gaze, "It's alright. Maes wouldn't want you to cry over him. Besides, knowing him this won't keep him down for long."

Winry swallowed back her tears and nodded, "Okay."

Gracia smiled gently, "Why don't you three come with me? I'm sure my husband would love to have more visitors."

"Certainly," Winry smiled back at the woman.

"Actually, Al and I will swing by later," Ed said.

Winry glanced at him and figured something was up but Gracia let it slide, "Alright then. Shall we go, Winry?"

She nodded at the woman and followed her, throwing a suspicious look over her shoulder at the boys.

_What are they planning now? _Winry wondered to herself.

"So what brings you three here?" Gracia asked politely.

"Oh, well you see Taylor got in a bit of an…accident."

Gracia, of course, was appalled, "Is she alright? She left very suddenly when she was staying with us. I assume she went to find you and the boys?"

"Yeah, she met up with us in Rush Valley, but a lot has happened since then…" The memories of the past few days entered her mind. Yes, a lot had happened, but Winry got a tight feeling in the pit of her stomach that more was to come."

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Brother, what are you thinking?" Al questioned his solemn look.

"It's something Winry said. It gave me an idea. Let's head back."

Al wordlessly followed him. They reached Taylor's room to find Havoc and Breda lounging in the hall looking bored out of their minds. Ed nodded to them and went inside, being mindful to shut the door behind them. Al then looked at Ed expectantly.

"It was when me and Winry were arguing," Ed explained. "I said that Taylor's soul was taken and then she said to take it back. What if it is that simple?"

"You want to pull Taylor's soul back from the gate?" Al gasped. "But what if her soul really was sent back through the gate. Would it even be possible to bring her back? And plus, would Taylor want to come back?"

Ed arched an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"If she's back in her world then maybe she's gone home to her family."

"Al, think about it rationally. Even if Taylor was sent to her side she wouldn't have a body. If anything she would be like a ghost. I wouldn't think it would be possible for her soul to stay there like that though, not being attached to anything. We need to get her back to her body."

Al nodded. Of anyone, he was the one who would understand the importance of this. "But how are we going to pull her soul back? What could we use for equivalent exchange?"

Ed glanced at Taylor's still body. If he hadn't known any better he would say that she was sleeping. He walked over to her and stood beside the bed. "Taylor's a living Philosopher's Stone…"

"Brother, if we used her like that it could have serious consequences!"

"Don't you think I realize how dangerous that is?" Ed asked rhetorically. "I've thought of all the possibilities. We can access the gate by activating the arrays on her body, that way we won't have to perform human transmutation. We could probably manage without the stone and bring her back that way. Taylor's soul would naturally be attracted to her body so it might be enough to pull her through. But I'm not sure if there would be enough power to do that, even if you helped me."

It was silent for the longest time until Al finally spoke, "It's still risky." By the sound of his voice Ed knew he was still thinking of other possible ways they could do this.

"I don't think there's any other way," Ed said. He had told Taylor before that he didn't want to use the stone inside her to restore himself and Al becase it was too risky. This was just about as risky as that. But he had no idea what was happening to her soul right now. He had to get her back. Ed wouldn't even consider this if he didn't think it was possible. They might have a chance of succeeding because it was Taylor's own soul. Her connection between her body and her soul should be enough to guide her back, and with the added power of the Philosopher's Stone the risk of losing any of themselves would virtually disappear.

"Alright then, Brother. I'll help you," Al said firmly.

"Alphonse, you're right. It is risky, but I don't see any other options. Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

Al's only answer was to nod. Ed retrieved a knife from the tray of uneaten food the hospital have given to Taylor for lunch. He used alchemy to make it as sharp as possible and didn't let himself think as he methodically sliced Taylor's palm. She didn't stir as blood seeped out from the small cut.

"Here we go," Ed said. They stood on either side of her and mimicked each other, touching each of her arms. A bright red glow then blinded them.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

No matter how long I lived I would never forget the feeling of my soul being ripped out of my body. The pure agony cannot be put into words and afterwards I would wonder if Al had felt this amount of pain when the gate took his body and Ed attached his soul to the suit of armor. But in that indiscernible amount of time my soul was being summoned to the gate I was consumed by that horrible feeling. It would be the most painful experience I'd ever have, surely. But I doubted it. I somehow had a knack for always finding ways to get myself hurt even worse than the last time.

Eventually I became aware of my surroundings. It shouldn't have surprised me that I had ended up back in Truth's white void.

"Quite the trip, huh?" its eerily familiar voice asked me with an amused chuckle.

I turned to see it sitting there with crossed legs, a grin on it's empty face. That's when I realized that I was gasping for breath and barely standing on shaky legs. My knees gave out and I crumbled to the floor as I caught my breath in strangled chokes of air.

"A bit too much for you then?" it laughed.

"Shut up, you bastard," I gasped out. "What the hell did you just do to me?"

It grinned wider and happily told me, "I summoned your soul here."

Ignoring the weight of the explanation, because it was honestly too much to take in, I asked sarcastically, "What, is your little errand boy too busy to send me here himself?"

"Actually, he is," Truth said surprisingly enough. "But that's neither here nor there. I'm more interested in you right now."

I sat there, wiping the sweat from my forehead as I said, "I don't know why. There's nothing really interesting about me."

"On the contrary, I find you very interesting. Most people would have either died or given up, and yet here you are. You must feel very accomplished."

"Yay for me, I'm not dead." I rolled my eyes. "I don't exactly intend to die, or give up for that matter. So if you've brought me here to offer me a ride home you can just forget it."

"Do you think if you say it aloud you're resolve will strengthen?" Truth shook its head. "You forget whom you are dealing with. I can see through you're brave words. You're a mess inside."

I blanched and had to swallow before I could choke out the words, "That's not true."

"Even now you lie to yourself." Then it shrugged, "Ah well, it makes no difference to me if you refuse to admit it."

No, it was the one who was lieing. I was okay. I was strong. I could do this.

_Then why are my hands shaking?_ the question floated through my mind. I stomped the thought out as soon as it past. I couldn't afford to be weak at a time like this.

Suddenly, a giant gate appeared behind Truth. It loomed threateningly, being both my salvation and my demise.

"You don't have to put up with it anymore," Truth told me, its many voices sounding sickeningly sweet. "You can walk away now and return home. I'm sure your loved ones miss you terribly. They must be mourning your absence as you do theirs."

It was true. The longing to go home ached within me fiercely. All I had to do was step through that gate and leave my worries behind. I could return to a normal life. And didn't I say just a couple of days ago how if I were given this chance again I would take it in a heartbeat? That was right after my traumatizing experience in Rush Valley. Despite having had some time to heal since then that yearning hadn't dimmed in the slightest. I wanted to so badly…But then I thought of a reason why I couldn't go even if I wanted.

I closed my eyes and shook my head, "No."

"Think carefully now. You won't get this opportunity again."

I stood up and gave him a cold stare, "I'm not stupid. Without my body I would be a ghost. I wouldn't be able to go back to a normal life even if I went home."

I would have expected that Truth would be upset that I had figured out its plan but it smiled instead, "You're very perceptive. Many have been foolish enough to accept this offer while in a state similar to yours. This is where the game ended for them."

"What is it you want me to do exactly?" I asked in frustration. "I'm tired of being led around like this with vague answers. How exactly do I win this game of yours?"

"You must lose."

"…Come again?"

"In order to win you must lose."

I glared at Truth, "That makes no sense! What does that even mean?"

"You'll learn soon enough."

Suddenly, Truth lost its grin and began to frown in my direction, "This is surprising. I suppose your friends are impatient."

"What are you " I began to ask when something grabbed me. I glanced at my shoulder and found a pitch black hand. More hands grabbed at me and I cried out in alarm. They were pulling me towards a different gate that had appeared behind me.

"I was planning to keep you longer but it seems we've been interrupted. I look forward to seeing what you'll do with the new piece I've added in the game."

Before I could ask anymore questions or ponder its words the hands pulled me through the waiting gate.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I opened my eyes, feeling the hands still attached to my arms. I fought against them.

"Taylor!" voices cheered in unison.

I stopped my weak attempts to get away and looked to my right, "Al?" Then I turned to my left and found his brother, "Ed?"

"We did it!" they yelled happily over and over as they crushed me in a hug.

"Can't breathe!" I squeaked.

They stepped back but continued to smile. I sucked in the sweet air and asked them, "Where are we?"

"You're back in the hospital," Al informed me.

"Oh…why does my hand hurt?" I asked, looking at it to find a cut. When did I get cut?

Ed scratched his head nervously, "Sorry about that. We had to use your stone to bring you back."

"You guys brought me back?" I asked in shock. "How did you do it? Wait, on second thought I don't care. I'm just glad to be out of that place."

"So you were at the gate." Al said in confirmation. "We were worried that you had been sent to the other side."

"Nah, but Truth offered me a way home. I told it to shove it." I laughed on the outside but on the inside I felt guilty. If it hadn't been for the fact that my body and soul had been separated I would have probably accepted Truth's offer. I tried to focus on how I didn't but it didn't stop me from feeling guilty.

"We're just glad you're back," Al said. "Winry's going to be so Oh! Winry doesn't know! I'll go tell her right now!" Then he frolicked away. Wait…suits of armor can frolick? Maybe it was just because its Al.

I turned to Ed to ask him something but furrowed my eyebrows at his expression, "Why are you so smiley?"

"Like Al said, we're glad you're okay," he said, still grinning.

"Well after spending so much time with Truth I can't help but think smiles are creepy."

This made him frown, "Are you saying my smile is creepy?"

"Um…um…"

"Well?"

"Hey, how long have I been out?"

"Since this morning, and it's about two in the afternoon right now."

"Really? Dang." I had been out for that long? Wow.

"Taylor?"

"What?"

"You still didn't answer my question."

"And what question would that be?"

"Now you're just being difficult."

"…"

"Well?"

"Ugh, why can't someone walk in and distract you? Hell, I'd even settle for a rabid squirrel to fly through the window right about now!"

Ed burst into a fit of laughter. Then he caught me off guard by pulling me into a tight hug.

"Ed?" I questioned.

"I'm so glad you're alright. Don't scare me like that again."

I sighed and brought my arms up to his back to return the embrace, "Fine. Next time Truth wants to summon my soul to the gate I'll tell it to take a rain check." After a moment I added, "And no, I don't think your smile is creepy. I'd take your smile over Truth's any day."

"Glad to know I rank above Truth," he said sarcastically. I could practically hear his eyes roll.

"You do rank above Truth, and a whole bunch of other people too so stop complaining." He chuckled at that. Being so close to him I could feel his laughs vibrate through his body. I never noticed but he had an amazing laugh. It made me snuggle further into the hug. But then I felt something on my face and I tried to blow it away. It didn't really work.

"Are you…blowing in my ear?" Ed asked.

"No, your hair keeps tickling my face." I said, trying again to blow the offending lock out of the way.

"Alright then," he laughed and began to pull away.

"Hey! I didn't say you had to move," I pulled him back.

"Oh, but we wouldn't want my hair to tickle you to death," he said, amused.

"I'm not that ticklish. Besides, you're warm," I murmured in content and buried my face in his shoulder.

"You're not that ticklish huh?" he said, his hand straying to my side.

"Don't you dare," I ordered him. Then I added more softly, "I don't want to have to think about anything right now. I just want to stay here like this."

He didn't return his hand to where it had been resting. Instead, he began to stroke my back comfortingly. Then he chuckled, "Okay, but if you bite me all bets are off."

I snorted, "I'm not gonna bite you."

"That didn't stop you before."

"When did I bite you?"

"When you were loopy from the pain medicene."

"Oh. But why would I bite you?"

"You seemed to be under the impression that I was bacon. You thought Mustang was eggs."

"Please tell me I didn't bite him too."

"No, he left too soon for that. I think you freaked him out."

"Jeez, what else did I do?"

"Well, there was that time you kept trying to take off your clothes."

My face reddened in mortification, "Oh, God. Please tell me you're joking."

"Nope."

"Did I do anything worse than that?"

"Well I'm not sure if trying to take off _my _clothes is worse than that."

"Oh, God. Did I really…?"

"Yes. Yes you did."

"I am so sorry…I'm gonna kill that doctor."

Ed laughed and pulled back to look at me. The second I looked at him I had to cover my face from the embarrassing images that might have went down while I was drugged out.

"What is it?" he asked, prying one of my hands away. I glanced at him and had to look away again. "Wow," Ed said, peering at me. "You're face is beet red."

"Because I'm mortified!" I said. "Gah! I can't even look at you."

"Am I that ugly?" he asked with a hurt expression.

I giggled but then moaned, "Don't make me laugh." Then he got right in my line of sight, causing me to blush fiercly and look away. "Stop it."

"Make me," he smiled and did it again. When I blushed again he smirked.

"You're an ass." I muttered.

"You've been looking at my ass?"

"Yes! W wait! No! Nononononono!"

"Why not? What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing! I mean no! I mean yes! Oh, shut up!" I finally grabbed my pillow and threw it at him. It only made him laugh more.

Then the door opened.

"Now someone comes in," I groaned, shaking my head. My breath left me in a rush when Winry pulled me into a suffocating hug.

"Taylor! You're okay!" she said happily. Then she let me go so she could hit me with her wrench…twice.

"Ow! What was that for?" I whined and held my aching head. Man, that hurt! I was near tears. Wasn't there a rule that you couldn't hit a person who's in the hospital?

"That's for not telling me you're from another world!" she yelled at me.

I grimaced, "You know about that? But how…" I trailed off and looked at Ed accusingly. My glare didn't leave out Al who had walked in after Winry. Both of them looked away and began whistling innocently.

"Yes, I know about that! You should have told me!" she shouted.

I winced, "Yes ma'am. I'm sorry."

"Gosh, you're as difficult as Ed and Al are." Then she sighed, "But I can understand why you didn't say anything before."

"So does that mean you're not gonna hit me with your wrench again?" I asked hopefully.

"I won't…until you do something else stupid."

I gulped. Knowing me, that would probably be soon.

Winry said something else but I was distracted by a flash of light in my peripheral vision. I glanced out the window to see strange blue sparks.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing. They all turned to see what I was looking at. When Ed caught sight of it he hopped up and went to the window.

"What is it?" Winry asked.

"I can't really see it good," Ed answered, "but it looks like alchemy."

Abruptly, I recalled the last thing Truth had told me before the hands pulled me through the gate. It had said that a new piece had been added to the game. Somehow, I instinctively knew that whatever was going on outside had something to do with that.

I jumped out of bed and, ignoring the others' calls, I dashed out of the room. I ran for all I was worth and didn't stop until I made it outside. I stood there panting for a brief second and scanned the area. At the corner of the building I saw Fate standing there as if he were waiting for me. He caught my gaze and retreated around the corner and out of sight. I took off after him as I heard the others race out the door. I heard their footsteps as they followed me.

I rounded the corner and stopped dead in my tracks. Fate was gone and in his place stood someone I never thought I would run into, not here anyway. Distantly I was aware that Ed and the others had caught up to me and stood beside me. Someone shook my shoulder and asked me what was wrong. I was too dazed to comprehend which one of my friends it was. But, whoever it was, had caught the attention of the person my eyes were glued to. She had been looking around herself in a daze of her own. Hearing their voice made her turn to see our little group. Her eyes immediately focused on me.

I felt like I was about to faint as I choked out, "Mom?"

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, I'm going to bed before I pass out. Please review.<strong>

**Also, thanks goes to my little sister, who goes by YourSecretStalker on here. She helped me out with this chapter by talking it out with me. You rock little sis!**


	42. Chapter 42

**Hey party peoples! I've got some exciting news! First, I'd like to thank The Suburban Coyote for drawing pictures of Taylor and my OCs from Forsaken. You can find these pics on her deviant art account and they are awesome! Next, I posted the sequel to "Ed's Happy Dance" so be sure to check that out along with "Barry's Crew" which stars our favorite sadist, Ragan! If you love me you'll go read those stories later.**

**Now, on with the story!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 42<strong>

**Mom?**

(-Taylor-)

About five seconds of silence passed before all three of my friends shouted, "WHAT?"

I didn't pay any attention to them and neither did my mother. We were focused solely on each other. I let my eyes drink her in as a flood of memories swept through me. She was a bit taller than me and tanner. Her light brown hair sat above her shoulders, thin and straight. Her eyes were a different shade of brown with flecks of hazel thrown in but they were shaped the same as mine. Her lips curved the same way mine did but the eyes and mouth were our only similar features to me. To others, everyone says we look just alike but I don't really see it. All in all, she was the same old mom I had always known and loved.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she lunged towards me, shouting, "My baby!" She wrapped me up in her arms and I melted into her embrace.

"Momma," I whispered softly, close to crying myself. I closed my eyes and nestled into the crook of her neck. I smiled at the familiar scent. She smelled like home.

All too soon, she released me and took a step back. She kept her hands planted on my shoulders and looked me square in the eyes. Before, her eyes had been filled with tears. Not now. Now they were fierce with fire as she yelled at me, "Taylor Breayn Riley! Where the hell have you been?"

"Breayn?" I heard Ed whisper behind me.

I laughed nervously, "Well, you see Mom, it's kind of a long story. But Mom, how did you get here anyway?"

She blinked and looked up in thought, "Now that you mention it I met this strange young man. I was walking out of the store when he came up to me and just grabbed my hand. He must have knocked me out or something because I'm not sure what happened after that, just waking up here." She looked around for a second and must have been wondering where 'here' was.

So, for whatever reason, Fate showed up in my world and brought Mom through the gate and dropped her off here. But why? Truth said that it was adding a new piece to the game, but my _mom_? Why? What did she have to do with any of this?

"You never answered my question, Taylor," Mom pointed out, drawing my attention back to her. Then her gaze softened as she asked, "What happened to you? Joelie and I were on the cliff with the rest of the tour group when you fell over the edge. We searched for so long but couldn't find a trace of you. I though you were…" Her hands squeezed my shoulders.

"Oh, Mom," I said, resting my hands over hers. She must have been through hell, thinking I had died. And now, after months of thinking I was dead, here I am, alive and well. Her emotional state must have been as twisted as mine. "I'm not sure how I can explain it, but I didn't die or even get hurt when I fell off the cliff. I came here instead."

"Which brings me to the question, where are we anyway? I've never seen this place in Farmerville." she said, thinking of the hometown where I grew up.

This was gonna be tough, but I knew what I had to do next. There was no getting around it. I would have to tell her the truth and hope she took it well. I glanced over my shoulder to my friends. They stood there watching our reunion in relative silence. Behind them stood Havoc and Breda looking just as confused as everyone else. I really didn't want extra ears for this so I grabbed Mom's wrist and said, "Let's go talk over there." I pointed over to a grassy area with a few picnic tables that were away from everyone else. I glanced at the others and told them, "I'll be right back." Then I dragged Mom with me.

"Honey, who are those people? Do you know them? And why is one of them dressed up in armor? And are those men wearing some kind of uniform? Taylor, did you join a cult or something?"

"Mom," I rolled my eyes and sat at the table, pulling her with me. "Yes, I know them. No, I didn't join a cult. Those guys are friends I've made since I came here. As for where we are, we're not in Farmerville anymore."

"Taylor, just cut to the chase," she said wearily. Despite her irritated tone she held onto my hand as if I were going to be taken away from her again. She had missed me something fierce.

"Mom, you know that anime show that I always watched?"

"What does that have to do with any of this?" she raised a brow.

"Mom," I said exasperated.

"Okay, fine. Which one?"

"The one I watch with LeFay."

"Oh, yeah, the Metal Alchemist, right?"

"_Full_metal Alchemist," I corrected her. Then I took a deep breath, "Well, you see, we're actually in the TV show right now, in a different dimension."

She stared at me and said nothing for a while. Then she slapped me in the back of my head.

"Ow! What did I do?" I protested.

"You're lying to me!" she shouted angrily. "This is a very serious situation and I don't appreciate you telling me nonsense. I watched you fall off that cliff. I thought you were _dead_. When the rescue teams couldn't find you and stopped searching for you I finally had to take Joeli back home with me. Do you know how many days I spent _crying _because I'd lost my baby girl? "

That hit hard but I had to keep going, "I know, and I'm sorry Mom, but I'm not lying to you.

"You expect me to believe we're in some TV show? I'm not stupid, Taylor."

" I never said you were! Look, I was just as surprised as you when I first came here but I learned to accept it. We really are in another world-"

"Stop!" she silenced me. "You better have a more realistic explanation than that or else."

I gulped. She had given me the _or else_ threat. Catastrophies followed those words. "But Mom, I'm telling you the truth."

"Taylor, I don't know why you're lying to me but I won't stand for it. Now come on." She stood up from the table, grabbing my wrist and pulling me up with her.

"But where are we going?" I asked, bewildered.

"We're going home," she said as she marched back towards the hospital.

I groaned. There was never anyone more stubborn than me…except my mother, that is. There was just no way I could get through to her and she would have to find out the hard way just how real this situation was. She'd probably have an aneurism when she found that she couldn't find the U.S. on any map and even then she might not let herself believe it.

With me in tow, Mom approached the others and asked in a determined tone, "If you would be nice enough to tell me where we are I'd appreciate it."

"Um, ma'am this is Central," Breda answered uncertainly.

"Central? Is that like one of those ghetto neighborhoods near town?"

"Mother!" I said in annoyance.

She glanced at me and rolled her eyes, a habit we both shared when we were annoyed. "Fine, I'll just use a phone inside and we'll be on our way."

"But wait, where are you going?" Winry asked.

My mother smiled politely and said, "I'll be taking Taylor home now. Have a nice day."

That's when all hell broke loose. Ed and Winry began ranting, Breda and Havoc kept saying how they couldn't let me leave due to their orders, and Al was just trying to settle everyone else down while my mom was arguing with everyone.

After a minute of this craziness I had had enough, "SHUT UP!"

Everyone stopped their bickering and turned to look at me.

I looked at my mom and began, "Mom, we can't go home because we're nowhere near there. This is a different city in an entirely different country. No one has even heard of Farmerville and, whether you choose to believe it or not, nothing you say or do is going to change that."

Her gaze became angered, "You really expect me to believe we're in a TV show? For God's sake Taylor, are you out of your mind?"

It hurt somewhat that Mom still couldn't accept the truth, but I pushed those feelings aside so that I could get through the matter at hand. "No, Mom. I'm not. And I can prove it."

She crossed her arms and challenged, "Alright then. Do it."

"I will," I said and marched over to a bench a few feet away. I clapped my hands and touched the seat. Blue sparks lit the area and before long I was left with a block of wood. It wasn't a big transmutation but it would get my point across. And boy, did it.

I turned around to gauge my mom's reaction. She was staring at me and the former bench, her eyes wide as saucers. Then she promptly fainted.

"Not the reaction I was hoping for…but I'll take it," I sighed.

Winry poked at my mom with a wrench, "Wow, she took it hard. Has she never seen alchemy before or something?"

"You could say that," I laughed softly. "Hey Al? Can you carry her inside for me?"

"Sure," he nodded. He picked her up carefully and we went to go inside.

"Hold it," Breda stopped me.

"What now?" I whined.

"You know Mustang's gonna have a lot of questions about this."

I nodded, "I figured as much." This was so not cool. If this kept up Mustang would find out that I was from another world.

"Um, Taylor?" Al asked sheepishly. "We forgot to tell you something about the Colonel."

"You mean _you_ forgot to tell her," Ed corrected him. "I'm not the one who told him."

I froze, "Wait, don't tell me…he know's too?"

Al chuckled nervously.

"Great! Just great!" I shouted angrily. This was just not my day. I turned back to Breda and Havoc who were looking puzzled at the three of us. I guess they were still out of the loop. "Go ahead and tell Mustang whatever you want. I'll answer his questions when my mom wakes up."

Breda nodded and let me pass. We then walked into the building and back to my room where Al laid my mom on the bed. Thankfully, Havoc had went to call Mustang and Breda had opted to go with him so we were left alone.

"Taylor?" Al called. "Your mom's kind of…"

"Scary?" I supplied the word. "Yeah, I know. Try living with her for sixteen years." I sat down on the bed beside her and let myself smile, "But, even being as stubborn as she is, I love her. For whatever reason Fate brought her from my world, I'm glad. I've missed her so much."

"You're serious about that?" Winry asked.

I looked at her, confused, "What do you mean?"

"About being from another world?"

"I thought Al and Ed told you about that already?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I believe them," she responded as if the whole thing was ridiculous.

I face palmed, "Oh Winry, you're about as difficult as my mother."

"What was that?" she asked threateningly, holding up a wrench.

"Nothing!" I put my hands up in surrender. "I just guess I assumed you would believe this when you were told."

She crossed her arms and frowned, "I admit that there are a bunch of strange things about you Taylor but it's not credible enough for me to buy that you're from another world. I still don't see how Ed and Al believe it."

I sighed. It would be far too complicated to try to convince Winry. And besides, she might be safer not believing anyway. I looked into her bright blue eyes, my solemness matching hers, "It's alright if you can't accept this. But please Winry, don't tell anyone about this. If anyone were to find out-"

"Yeah, I know. There'd be more trouble for you, yada yada. Ed and Al already covered this." Then she smiled at me and winked.

I blinked for a moment until my lips perked up. Whether she believed me or not, Winry was an amazing friend and had my back.

"What's going on?"

"Mom?" I turned around to find her waking up and glancing around in confusion.

"Taylor? What happened? Where are we?"

"Don't worry. You passed out so we brought you inside. Are you okay?"

She sat up and seemed to be thinking hard about something. Then she looked at me and asked, "Okay? Why on Earth would I be okay? First I find out my daughter, who I thought had died, is alive and well. Then I find out that she's been in some other world this entire time and that I'm there now! And lastly you have magical powers!"

"Magical..?" I began but then I erupted into guffaws. Even Ed and Al seemed amused by my mother's reaction.

"Taylor! This isn't a joke," she reprimanded me.

"No, no it isn't," I said, wiping a tear out of my eye. Then I hugged her tightly, "God, I've missed you."

She didn't hesitate to return the hug, "Oh baby, I've missed you too. So, so much. I just…this is a lot to take in, ya know? I can't wrap my mind around it. I'm not dreaming am I?"

"Want me to pinch you?" I laughed.

"…Not now. I may need you to later if things get any crazier than this."

"…"

"They do, don't they?"

"Heh…"

"Excuse me," I heard Al's voice call.

Me and my mom separated to see the others looking at us. Oh yeah, I almost forgot about them…

Mom gave me a glance and then turned back to the others, "So, you're friends of Taylor, huh?"

Al nodded, "Yes, my name is Alphonse Elric and this is my older brother, Edward. It's very nice to meet you."

Mom darted glances between the two boys. Then she laughed and told Ed, "Well, Taylor can relate to you, I know that!"

Ed raised his brows, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, how even though you two are the older siblings you're both so much shorter."

"I'M NOT SHORT!" Ed and I yelled simultaneously.

My mom howled with laughter, "You both even have the same anger problems."

"I think you need that pinch now, Mother," I growled, a vein on my head throbbing. "Moving on. This over here is Winry," I gestured to the blonde girl. She smiled and held her hand out to my mom.

"Winry Rockbell," she gave her full name.

My mom shook her hand, "I'm April Dean, but you can just call me Miss April."

Winry furrowed her brows, "Dean? But Taylor said her last name is Riley."

"Yes. You see, I remarried when Taylor was really young and Mark has been more of her real father. But he's been out of the picture for a while now…"

"Oh, I see," Winry nodded.

I caught Ed and Al giving me looks and I averted my gaze. Yes, I had told them that my dad had walked out on my family but I had never said that he was my step dad. Nor had I said that he was the only father who had left me. The whole thing just made me sad and I rather not think about it.

"So Mom, how's everyone back at home?" I asked, changing the subject.

Her eyes became panicked, "Oh no! I completely forgot about Joelie! If we can't go home who's gonna take care of her! I can't take care of both of my babies when they're in two separate worlds!"

I had to spend the next few minutes calming her down. Her panic was due more to the shock of the whole 'different worlds' thing than worrying about things at home. I didn't blame her one bit because I had went through the same shock as well.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm sure Joelie's smart enough to have called Grandma or someone. She'll be okay."

"You're right. You're absolutely right," Mom said, patting my hand as if _I_ were the one who needed reassuring. "Joelie's fifteen. She's old enough to figure out something. But Taylor, how are we going to get back home?"

"Um…" I looked to Ed and Al, not knowing how to answer.

Ed took charge for me, "Miss April, we don't know how to get you back home at the moment but we can look into it for you."

"You boys?" she stared at him questioningly. "But you don't look any older than Taylor. Do you have magic powers like she does, or something?"

He snorted, "They're not magic powers. What you saw your daughter do was alchemy. And yes, Al and I are alchemists. In fact, I'm a State Alchemist; the Fullmetal Alchemist."

"Wait, that sounds familiar," Mom said thoughtfully.

"_Mom_," I whined. "That's the anime I was talking about."

Her eyes widened, "Oh… But Taylor, how can you be sure that we're in an anime? I mean, if this is another world then how is there stuff back in our world about it?"

"Both of our worlds seem to be more connected than we thought," Al said.

"Yeah," I agreed. "And I know this is the anime because I've seen it a bunch of times. The people in this room with us right now are the characters the show is based off of. They were real all along, just not in our world."

Mom scratched her head tiredly, "This is gonna take some time to get used to."

"It'll be okay. We've got people who can help us. Right guys?" I smiled at my friends.

"Right!" they all answered.

"So, do you feel fine now Mom?"

"I think I will be for now." she nodded. That's my mom! Always tough!

"Okay, then. We should get going. First we need to go see Mustang and then…" I trailed off, not knowing what we'd do after that.

"We need to look into ways we can send you guys home," Al said.

Ed nodded in agreement, "And I hate to say it but our best bet will probably be with Teacher."

"Sounds like a plan," I smiled.

So we got ready to leave. I had to change out of my hospital clothes, which made Mom ask me what I was doing in the hospital in the first place. I told her it had been an accident…That blowed over real well. Ed went to discharge me and Havoc and Breda came back to tell us that Mustang wanted us to go to HQ. We took separate vehicles, me and my mom riding with Breda and the others riding with Havoc. On the way there I filled my mom in on who we were going to see and why. She was more than a little surprised to hear that Ed was in the military at such a young age but, with some input from Breda, she was forced to accept that Ed was and that we were off to see his superior officer.

When we arrived at HQ my mom stuck close to me, but not out of fright. She kept close so that she could protect me from the big bad soldiers at Central. Aw, I've missed how much of a momma bear she is!

We met up with the others and went inside. After walking down _many_ hallways we reached our destination. I had only been here once before and that was after our encounter with Scar, but nothing had really changed since then. The rest of Mustang's team was there, diligently doing their paperwork. Havoc told us Mustang was waiting in his private office for us and he and Breda left to their own desks. That's when Hawkeye stepped out of Mustang's office, along with a little fur ball of cuteness.

It wasn't a surprise when my ADD kicked in. "Puppy!" I squealed and sank to my knees as Black Hayate trotted over to me. His tail wagged enthusiastically while I petted him.

"I'm glad to see you're up and about," Hawkeye said as she walked over to us.

I smiled and stood up straight, "Me too." I noticed her curious glance towards Mom so I went ahead and introduced them, "Lieutenant Hawkey, this is my mom. Mom, this is Lieutenant Hawkeye. She saved my life in that, uh, accident."

Hawkeye gave me a weird look at that but greeted my mom nonetheless, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Your daughter certainly has made things more…interesting around Central."

"I bet she has," Mom said as she shook Hawkeye's hand. "And thank you for saving my daughter."

Hawkeye nodded and said politely, "Now if you'll excuse me I have some work to finish. As for you two," she looked at me and Ed, "the colonel wants to speak to you." Without another word she left, Black Hayate trailing after her.

Ed slumped over and groaned, "Ugh, I don't want to deal with that pompous jerk right now."

"When do you ever?" Al asked with a laugh.

Ed frowned at him, "At least you don't have to put up with him Al. I'm the one he's always bossing around and complaining to. Can't we just take a rain check and come back another time?"

"Ed, you're the one who joined the military. That means you have responsibilities," Winry reminded him.

Ed scowled at her, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Never fear, Edo! I'll take care of everything!" I sang, feeling rather perky. Leaving the others, I marched off towards Mustang's office. Along the way I grabbed Havoc's coat which he had pulled off and laid on his chair. He complained but I paid him no mind, throwing the blue coat around and slipping my arms in with ease. Sure it was way too big for me but it made me appear more imposing.

In true Edward Elric style, I kicked the office door open and marched right on in there. Mustang didn't seem too startled, having to deal with this sort of thing from a certain blonde subordinate all the time. What did make him look up in surprise was the fact that I was not said subordinate.

I sauntered up to the desk, slammed my hands on the wooden surface, and leaned in real close to his face. With narrowed eyes glaring gravely at him, I growled in my most intimidating voice, "Grr!"

No reaction whatsoever. Not even a little bit. He sat there, staring at me with the ultimate poker face.

"Grr!" I growled again to get my point across. Still, he did nothing. It was so infuriating! "Grr! GRR! Why aren't you cowering in fear, damn it!"

"Because I find it rather adorable, really," he smirked.

My jaw dropped. Oh, no he didn't! That was it! This ginger had had enough!

With steam pouring out of my ears, I marched right back out the door shouting, "That's it! I give up!" I threw Havoc's jacket at him and stormed past the others to leave so I could go cool off.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Ummm, what just happened?" Ed asked, utterly confused.

"I don't know but she looked scarier than Winry does when she's mad," replied Al.

"Hey! I heard that!" Winry yelled at him. Then she looked at Miss April who just seemed to be standing there. Winry raised an eyebrow at her, "Aren't you going to go after her?"

Miss April laughed, "No, it's better to give her some time to cool down. She'll come back in a few minutes. But I wonder what set her off."

"Probably that bastard colonel," Ed frowned. He walked into Mustang's office, seeing the man watching the door while holding back amused laughter.

"Hello, Fullmetal," Mustang greeted him, smirking.

"Alright Mustang, what did you do to Taylor?" Ed demanded.

The man leaned back in his chair, "I did nothing. I simply said something in response to Miss Riley's curious actions."

Ed frowned thoughtfully, "Actions? What did she do?"

If it were possible, Mustang smirked even deeper, "She growled at me."

Ed sweat dropped, "Yep, that sounds like Taylor. But jeez Colonel, what did you say to set her off?"

He smiled fully now, "I told her that it was adorable."

_So I'm not the only one who thinks that too!_ Ed thought. Then he coughed, "I mean, you pervert! She's only sixteen!"

"Calm down, Edward. It was only a joke," Mustang said. Then his eyes darted towards the door as someone walked in. Ed followed his gaze to find Miss April stepping into the office cautiously.

"Excuse me, I don't mean to barge in," Miss April began apologetically.

Mustang swiftly abandoned his seat and approached her. "It's no problem at all. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang. And your name, Miss?"

"April Dean," she greeted him with a pleasant smile, shaking his offered hand.

"What a lovely name," Mustang said, giving her a smile that he hoped would make her swoon. Gazing at her with smoldering eyes, he asked, "After you've finished your business here how about you and I go out tonight? I know this great restaurant that just opened and I'd be delighted to take you."

Ed rolled his eyes and muttered, "As I said, pervert."

Miss April gave a smirk of her own and replied, "No thanks. I'm done with men."

Ed couldn't help himself. Laughs escaped him as he held onto the sofa so he wouldn't fall over. And to make things even better Mustang's womanizing mask appeared to crumble in a thousand shards of glass as he was rejected for the first time in his life. And perhaps even better than that was when Taylor flew in.

"MUSTANG!" she screamed, coming in between the two adults. "Where do you get off on trying to pick up my _mother_?"

Mustang's face said it all, "Your…mother?" He looked up at Miss April who grinned and waved at him.

"Yes," Taylor said seething. "I've been having a very hectic day and I don't need to deal with any more crap! So, _back off_!"

And then Mustang made the mistake of smirking, "Or what? You'll growl at me again?"

His smirk wilted when he saw Taylor's answering vicious grin, "No, Mustang. What I'll do will be far worse. I'll…" Here, she trailed off so she could whisper into his ear. Mustang visibly paled.

When Taylor stepped back, he swallowed and nodded, "Understood." He heard quite laughter and turned to see his staff laughing at him from the other room. He sent them a glare and slammed the door to his office. As Mustang went to return to his desk, Taylor and her mom fist bumped behind his back, causing Ed to snicker.

The rest of their visit went smoothly, more or less. Mustang demanded the entire story from Taylor herself and she obliged. The only detail she omitted was the information about her Philosopher's Stone, correctly assuming that the boys hadn't went so far as to tell the colonel that much.

"And now your mother's here too," Mustang commented, sending the woman a quick glance. "Well, Fullmetal. What are you going to do about this?"

"_Me_? What makes you assume that I'll fix everything?" Ed responded, irritated.

"Seeing as how Miss Riley is still your charge, your protection will extend over to her mother as well until this matter can be solved. You are responsible for the both of them."

Ed sighed, "Yeah, we'll look into a way to send them back home but it won't be easy. If we can go see our teacher about this then we might have more to work on."

"Very well," Mustang agreed. "Keep me posted on this. Dismissed."

Ed gave a half hearted salute and the three of them left. Outside the office where Winry and Al were waiting for them, Al asked, "How did it go?"

Ed grinned and told him, "Looks like we're going to Dublith to visit Teacher again." Then the truth of this caught up to him and he moaned, "Oh gate, what have I done?"

"So who is this Teacher person you mentioned?" Miss April asked.

"Oh, Teacher's the one who taught me and Brother everything we know," Al answered her. "She's an amazing alchemist and should be able to help us."

Miss April nodded but didn't sound all that convinced. She looked to her daughter and asked, "Taylor, are you sure about all this?"

In turn, Taylor smiled, "Mom, yes I'm sure about this. I trust these people with my life."

They left HQ after that to go to a hotel to spend the night. They would start their travels tomorrow. Taylor and Al talked excitedly to Miss April about it, but Ed hung back, walking at a slower pace and deep in thought.

"Hey."

Ed looked up to see Winry walking beside him, smiling. He returned the sentiment but it didn't reach his eyes. "So what will you do Winry? Will you be heading back to Rush Valley?"

She nodded, "There's a lot of work do be done and I've gotten a lot of customers lately."

"Cause you're the best mechanic in Amestris," he grinned and nudged her playfully.

She laughed, "I don't know about that but it makes me happy that I can help so many people."

Ed nodded, "It's what you do best."

"…So what are you gonna do?"

"What do you mean?" he asked her, not understanding.

"About Taylor," she nodded her head in the girl's direction.

Ed frowned, "You already know what we're gonna do. We'll go to Teacher and find a way to send her and her mom back home."

"Edward," she began in a serious tone, making him look back at her. "I'm not saying I'm totally convinced of this other world stuff. But regardless, when the time comes for Taylor to leave are you really going to let her?"

"Why wouldn't I? It's not like I can keep her here. I don't have the right to anyway."

"So you'd let her go without a second thought? What if you never see her again?"

Even if he knew how to respond to that, Ed couldn't answer her. As he walked in silence, lost in his swirling thoughts, Winry went on ahead to join the others. Ed kept his distance and watched them. Well, not really _them_ because his eyes were trained on one person alone. He watched her chat happily with everyone. Her mother hadn't been here even a day but already there was a noticeable change in Taylor. More bounce had entered her steps and she smiled more easily and the look in her eyes showed that a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. If she was this happy by simply seeing her mom, how much happier would she be if she went home? It was only right to send her back to her world, where she belonged. But then, why did the idea of sending her back make Ed's chest hurt so bad he wanted to punch a wall and break something? True, he'd miss her but the thought of never seeing her again… It was almost too much to take.

_Taylor…_

* * *

><p><strong>Now that mom's in the picture things are gonna get more complicated...<strong>

**So, reviews? I'll give you brownies?**

**Taylor: Brownies? Where?**

**LeFay: Oh, boy. Me and my big mouth. *runs away chased by a ravenous Taylor***


	43. Chapter 43

**Helloooos! I thought you guys had suffered in agony long enough so I decided to go ahead and update. This chapter orinally was going to be like, 18 or so pages, which is too long for my taste so I cut it in half and I might even go so far as to make chapter 45 part 3. Eh, maybe, maybe not.**

**In other news, I graduated! That's right, I am done with school! WHOO! And as a graduation gift my little sis got me a replica of Ed's State Alchemist watch! I love you YourSecretStalker! (that's what she goes by on here). Now that I'm out of school I should have more time to write. _Should_ being the operative word there.**

**Also, I started a community if you guys want to check it out. It's titled 'Epicosity' and has some really epic FMA fics in it. You'll notice that I put TBA in it but I only put it in because of how many positive reviews it's gotten and people tell me all the time that it's epic so I'm taking their word for it.**

**Without further delay, here's the new chappy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 43<strong>

**Tribulations of the Heart (part 1)**

(-Taylor-)

"I noticed something while walking around town," Mom began as she sat down on one of the two beds. We had made it to the hotel and requested two rooms: one for the girls and one for the guys. Right now Winry was in the boy's room reattaching Ed's finished arm while simultaneously giving me some private time with my mom. I had to explain to her about automail and told her that Ed had lost two of his limbs in an alchemy accident when he was younger and that's also why Al wears a suit of armor. I think I would overload her brain if I tried to go into detail about them attempting human transmutation on their mother and Al losing his body so I just left it at that.

"And what would that be?" I responded, flopping onto the bed next to her. I sighed as my head hit the pillow.

"Everything here looks so old fashioned. Is there a reason for that?"

"Yeah. It's cause the year here is in the early 1900s."

She gave me one of her looks that said I clearly needed to go to the loony bin, "That can't…"

"Different world, remember?" I reminded her.

Mom nodded and patted my hand, "Yes, I'm still overwhelmed by this all. How did you ever come to terms with it? I would have gone crazy."

I smiled bitterly, "I had to adapt to survive." So much had happened since I had found that Philosopher's Stone and arrived in Amestris. Some good occasions were scattered in my travels, but there were also memories I had acquired, tainted in blood and tears.

"Baby girl?" Mom spoke soothingly. Instinctively knowing that I needed comforting, she stroked my bangs away from my face. I closed my eyes, memorizing the feel of the hand I had held onto in times of doubt, the sound of her reassuring voice, and most of all her motherly affection. I had missed home so much and now that a large piece of it was here I felt the floodgates open within me. All the stress and pent up sorrow and anger rushed out of me in a sob that gave way for more tears.

"I missed you so much," I cried.

"I missed you too, Taylor," Mom said gently while pulling me towards her. My head rested on her shoulders as she rubbed my back in calming circles.

"It's been hard," I told her. "And I've been so scared and I don't know if I can do this anymore. I'm not strong like Ed, Al, and Winry or Hawkeye or Mustang or the rest of them. Ever since I got here I've just been screwing up…"

"Tell me about it."

And so I did. Skimming over the gruesome details, I explained to her my journey thus far. I described the Homunculi, Fate, and the stone inside me. She asked a few questions throughout my story but remained silent during the majority of it. And oh, the sense of relief I felt divulging this all! These emotions had been simmering for a while now and it felt amazing to let it all out.

When I had finished, Mom wrapped her arms around me and said, "I wish I could have been there with you through it all."

I wiped at my eyes and said, "I've felt so alone and confused for so long."

"I can understand your confusion but not the alone part." I looked up at her with a puzzled expression and she chuckled, "Taylor, from everything you told me you haven't been alone. Edward and Alphonse have been with you every step of the way and they've been great friends to you, right?"

I nodded slowly, then averted my eyes, "Yeah, and maybe that's the problem. If I hadn't have been with them everything would have worked out perfectly for them. I don't even know where in the anime we are anymore."

"You really don't think you've helped them at all?"

I glanced back up at her to meet her serious gaze, "What do you mean? Sure I've tried to keep them on track with the timeline but that probably wouldn't even be an issue if I wasn't here in the first place."

"I think you have done something for them and you don't even know it. You can't see it because it's not physical."

I frowned in thought and asked, "So what I've given them is mental problems?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes, "No, you retard. Look, these boys have become really close to you, right?"

"Yeah, like family," I agreed wholeheartedly.

She smiled, "And real family is always there when you need them, just like I'm here for you when you need me. I wouldn't hesitate to be there for you because I love you. You and Joeli give me all the reason to live and I'd fight for you. What you give these boys is a reason to fight and something to hope for."

"…Hope huh?" I said after a minute. Then I grinned, "Since when did you become so insightful?"

She ruffled my hair, "Comes with the job."

"What job?" I snorted.

"Motherhood."

Then a shout that could be heard from another room reached us, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE WOULD DROWN IN A RAINDROP!"

"What on Earth was that?" Mom asked, looking at the door in alarm.

I giggled, "That would be Ed."

"WELL MAYBE YOU WOULDN'T BE SO SMALL IF YOU'D DRINK YOU'RE MILK!"

"…and that would be Winry."

_THUNK!_

"…and that would be Winry's wrench."

"They sound awfully violent," she mused. "Are you sure they're not killing each other in there?"

"Positive!"

"AH! I DON'T WANNA DIE!"

"…somewhat positive," I added after hearing Ed yell again. Winry must be going after him a second time.

Then the door to the room slammed open and Winry stood there, bloodied wrench in hand.

I whistled, "Wow, Winry. You really gave it to him good, didn't you?"

She grinned evilly, "He had it coming to him."

Mom commented, "You at least hid the body, right?"

"_Mother_!" I gasped in shock. She laughed and pretty soon we were all laughing up a storm.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

The next day the five of them departed on the train bound for Rush Valley. Winry practically bounced with excitement, chattering about how much she missed being surrounded by that much automail. Ed attempted to tune her out. It didn't make it any better that Miss April continued to ask Winry about the mechanics of automail. It was far too early in the morning for this and all Ed wanted to do was sleep.

"Yeah! Automail is very versatile and can even be used for animals! I helped my grandma make the first automail prosthetic for our dog Den and more and more mechanics have begun to try their hand in that direction too. The animal leg essentially serves the same purpose as one does for a human leg but it is more limited in its movement and I'm working on making the-"

"_GSNOOOORK!_" Ed snored very loudly.

"Edward," Winry said, a definite frown in her voice.

He peeked out of one eye to see Winry glaring at him from where she sat with Taylor and her mom across the aisle.

"Oh sorry, am I bothering you?" Ed asked innocently.

"Brother," Al whispered, leaning towards him so as not to be overheard. "I don't think it's a good idea to make her angry. She still has dried blood on her wrench from last night."

Ed gulped. Then again, who needed sleep anyway? Heh…

"By the way Ed," Winry began. From the sound of her tone Ed already knew he wasn't going to like what came out of her mouth next. "You're gonna have to cough up some cash for a little shopping spree."

His eyes snapped open and he sat up, "Like hell I will! I'm not your personal bank, Winry."

"It's alright Winry, you don't have too…" Miss April began but Taylor touched her arm to stop her. Ed stared at them, wondering what they were up too.

"It's find Mom," Taylor assured her mother. "I told you how Ed's a State Alchemist and he gets paid a lot. He's got plenty of money to spare."

"Hey!" Ed shouted in frustration but Taylor's sigh made him pause.

"Ed, this isn't just for fun. We really need supplies."

"Supplies?" Ed asked.

"Yes. If you hadn't noticed I left all my stuff at Izumi's house in Dublith and my mom needs some clothes too. Hence, the shopping trip."

Ed grumbled and laid back down. He hated when Taylor went all reasonable on him.

"Wow, Taylor. You've got him wrapped around your finger," Winry whispered.

"I heard that," Ed said, causing everyone to laugh.

About an hour later the train stopped at a small town and Winry and Taylor got off to stretch their legs and use a restroom. Miss April stayed behind on the train with the boys. Ed thought nothing of it and kept his eyes closed to savor the peace and quite. Al, being more watchful, noticed something about her. "Miss April?" he asked perceptively.

Edward cracked open an eye and saw the woman, not exactly anxious, but looking like she wanted to say something to them. "Something wrong?" Ed asked.

She sighed, "No, well besides the obvious. Since we've got a moment to ourselves there's something I should say."

Al and him exchanged a glance as he sat up. They were both thinking the same thing: that Miss April was about to chew them out for something. She had that same expression on her face that Hawkeye got right before she shot her pistol at someone. But at least Miss April wasn't carrying around firearms…or was she? She was _Taylor_'s mom after all and from some futuristic world. Who knew what kind of volatile weapons she carried on her person?

"Taylor told me most of what's been going on. I still don't understand a lot about…different worlds and this alchemy business but I know one thing. You two have been with my daughter throughout it all and have been great friends to her. So Alphonse, Edward, I just want to thank you for being there for her when I couldn't be."

Ed blinked rapidly in surprise. Al, also taken aback, stammered, "Oh! That's alright! There's no need to thank us."

"Yeah, it's no big deal."

"You're wrong. It's a very big deal because to me my daughters are my whole world." Deep emotion entered her voice that spoke of fierce protectiveness and abundant love. And the way her eyes creased and she smiled when she glanced out the window to see Taylor waving at her, it gave Ed a harsh pang in his chest. He remembered how his and Al's mother used to give them that same look. How they used to do anything and everything they could think of to earn her praise and make her happy, to ease the sadness that had filled her since their father left. He still yearned to see her again, see her smile one more time. Even having gone through that one fateful night that changed the brothers' lives forever, that didn't change the fact that they missed her. They did, very intensely.

"Okay! Let's get this show on the road!" Taylor cheered as she plopped back in her seat along with Winry.

"It's actually a track. You can't drive a train on a road, baby girl," Miss April pointed out.

Taylor rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean." As she looked away from her mom, her gaze fell onto Ed. He turned to the window before she could decipher his expression.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

They arrived in Rush Valley early that afternoon. Immediately, Winry snatched Ed's wallet and ran off with Taylor and her mom down the street.

"Brother, calm down," Al pleaded as he held Edward back from pursuing and murdering Winry.

"No, I will not! Get back here Winry!"

In the distance, the blonde mechanic shouted, "Not a chance, shrimp!"

Ed's eyes blackened with rage, "THAT'S IT! THIS MEANS WAR!"

But before the furious alchemist could exact his revenge his prey disappeared among the crowds. Ed roared and struggled out of Al's hold, launching down the street to find the others. He bumped into someone and the person caught him by his coat.

"Hey! Who do you think you are, you little punk?" the burly man asked him in anger.

Ed, already mad about Winry's stunt, went berserk. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?" Then he transmuted his automail arm into a blade and went into attack mode. Al stood on the sidelines as he watched his brother take on not only the burly man but his group of friends as well. The men never stood a chance as Ed pummeled them, all the while yelling, "WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANNA CALL ME? PIPSQUEAK? SHORTY? A BEAN SPROUT MIDGET? I'M STILL GROWING YOU MECHANICAL OBSSESSED JUNKIES!"

"I should have guessed you guys were back in town." someone said beside Al.

"Paninya! What are you doing here?" Al exclaimed.

She shrugged, "I was nearby when I thought a bomb had gone off. I came to check it out."

Al slumped wearily, "A bomb sounds about right."

"ALRIGHT? WHO ELSE WANTS SOME OF THIS?" Ed yelled, surrounded by unconscious men.

"See Brother, this is why you don't have many friends," Al whined, grabbing him and dragging him down the street while ignoring his complaining. Paninya trudged along with them as Al led the way to Garfiel's shop.

_Later that afternoon…_

"Where the hell are they," Ed asked, still grumpy but much more calm than earlier.

"I'm sure they're just having a good time," Al assured him.

"It's been three hours Al. _Three_ hours. What could they have possibly been doing for _three_ hours?"

"Uh, girl stuff?" Al guessed.

Ed, not satisfied with that answer, turned to Paninya who sat across from him at the table, "You're sort of like a girl, Paninya. What do you think could be keeping them?"

Paninya, although arching her eyebrow at how he phrased it, chose to politely ignore his first sentence and answered his question with another question, "Well, what did they say they were going to do?"

"Go shopping for clothes," Ed groaned.

Paninya's face pinched at that, "Oooh, then they're definitely gonna be a while. Even when they run out of money they'll still window shop."

"Run out of money?" Ed sputtered. He then dropped his head on the table, his forehead banging loudly against the surface.

Paninya gave Al a questioning look. Al whispered to her, "Winry took Ed's wallet."

Finding that highly amusing, she laughed, "Well, sucks for you!"

"Gee, thanks," Ed mumbled, lifting his head and grabbing his glass of tea to take a drink.

"Hey guys! We're back!" Winry called as she came in.

Ed turned and was preparing himself to begin ranting at her but then he saw Taylor step in behind her. At the sight of her, the liquid in Ed's mouth spewed out as he began to cough and choke violently.

"Brother?" Al asked uncertainly.

With her usual fiery spirit, Taylor gestured dramatically at her dress and said, "Oh, come on! It's not that bad." Indeed, Taylor was not in her usual hoodie and pants combo. No, today she wore a _dress_. The fabric was made out of a silky pale green. It had inch thick straps with a square neckline that revealed a bit of cleavage along with exposing many of her tattoos. A black, lacy ribbon ran underneath the breasts to form a small bow in the back. The skirt flowed out to above her knees and her shoes were black sandals. To complete the look she wore a black choker.

Ed caught his breath but couldn't tear his eyes away from the unusual sight. He had never seen Taylor dressed up so much. She even wore makeup and had her hair tied in a long, complicated braid that left her bangs free to caress her face. He had to admit, she looked gorgeous.

Taylor was still glaring irritated at Ed. Paninya stepped over to her and whispered to her but he could still here her. "Actually Taylor, I think that's a compliment."

She raised her eyebrow in puzzlement and asked, "How so?"

"You stunned him with your beauty."

"Yeah," Al chipped in. "You're even prettier than usual, Taylor. Brother obviously thinks so too."

"Shut up," Ed said, sending Al a glare.

Taylor fought a smile and, while blushing, asked Al, "Really?"

Al nodded enthusiastically. Then he elbowed Ed to urge him to say something. He had regained his breath but suddenly wished he hadn't. "Uh…" he said stupidly. Taylor watched him patiently, her eyes gleaming with hopefulness. He turned his head and suddenly became very interested in the table. "Uh, yeah, you look nice."

Taylor's lips parted in a full blown smile, "Aw, you guys are so sweet. Come here!" Then she threw her arms around Al's armored neck. He chuckled shyly and returned the hug. After a few seconds, she released him and turned to Ed. He narrowed his eyes at her but she just held her arms out and grinned. Ed had never been one to show affection that much or that easily but in the many weeks he had spent with Taylor he had discovered that she had no problems with displaying her emotions and was not averse to physical contact.

He knew he wouldn't get out of it so he gritted his teeth and took it like a man, "Fine, damn it. Just get it over with already."

She pouted, "Someone's a little grumpy. Sounds like you could use a hug!" Taylor jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ed suddenly found himself in an embarrassing predicament due to Taylor's…assets. What Taylor lacked in height she made up for in size in…a certain area. Ed's face was practically pushed into this area with the force of her hug. He abruptly lost the ability to breathe or think, let alone return the embrace.

Taylor leaned back and her grin grew into a smirk at Ed's positively bright red face, "Why Edward, are you feeling alright? You're face is awfully red."

Not letting Ed respond, Winry chimed in, "Aw, little Edward is embarrassed!"

"Don't call me little!" Ed barked, his usual anger not as present.

"Taylor."

Taylor turned around, letting go of Ed in the process, "Oh, hey Mom." She laughed, but it was off. She seemed nervous all of a sudden…

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I was just enjoying hugging Ed when my mom walked in. She had been in the other room talking to Mr. Garfiel and, as my luck would have it, she walked in at the wrong moment.

I let go of Ed and laughed nervously, "Oh, hey Mom." I tried to look innocent but I couldn't completely hide my guilty expression.

Mom, glancing between Ed and I suspiciously, asked, "What's going on?"

"What's going on is that we need to get these two to go out on a date," Winry pronounced cheerfully.

Me, Ed and my mom all exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

Paninya glanced at Winry oddly, "But I thought they were already together."

"We're not!" both Ed and I shouted defensively. He shouted out of embarrassment while I was trying not to give my mom the wrong idea. Too late. She already was looking at me like she was going to give me the scolding of a lifetime.

"Why would you think that?" I asked Paninya, rubbing at my arm self-consciously.

She scratched her head, "I guess I just assumed with the way you guys acted towards each other."

"You're saying we act like a couple or something?" Ed asked incredulously. Then he rolled his eyes, "Get real, we're just friends."

"Yeah, friends." I confirmed.

"We can always change that," Winry smiled devilishly.

"Taylor," my mom called to me. I gulped at her expression. I was so dead. "I need to talk to you."

"Yes ma'am," I squeaked, following her into the next room which was the kitchen.

Once the door closed, Mom turned to me and asked me in a deceptively calm voice, "Do you have something you want to tell me?" Oh, she was mad. She was even madder than when she found out about my tattoos this morning. Now _that_ had been fun. Note the sarcasm. It took forever to explain to her without her blowing a gasket.

I shook my head vigorously, "No, not at all!"

She put her hands on her hips and stared at me fiercely, "Is something going on between you and Edward?"

_I wish…Wait, no! I did not just think that! Focus Taylor!_ "No, Mom. We're just really good friends, that's all."

"I have to admit that I've had to do some adjusting since I got here and I haven't really had time to think about a lot of things, but now that I'm thinking straight I'm concerned about these months you've been alone with these boys."

"What, do you think they're bad or something?" I asked in their defense. "They're not. They've been helping me this whole time."

"I never said they were bad, but I also don't know them very well. And it worries me about what you've been doing with them while you've been alone."

"What do you think I've been doing with them, Mom? Do you think that as soon as I was away from you I found the first guys I could find and started getting it on with them like bunnies? We're _just friends_. There's nothing more to it."

She crossed her arms, "Oh really?"

"Yes really. And it really hurts me that you think I'm that kind of person. I have morals, ya know. I wish you could trust me more."

"I never said that I didn't trust you."

"Well you certainly implied it." I said in frustration.

"Taylor," my mom scolded me in anger, "all I've ever done is look out for you. I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know that, Momma," I said in a more gentle tone. She really does try to look out for me the best she can, but she tends to he overprotective, even more so ever since… "I know you don't like the idea of me dating and whatnot because of Dad."

She visibly flinched but stayed on the defensive, "Your father doesn't have anything to do with this."

"But it has everything to do with you," I said plainly. If I had snapped it at her she would have went off on me like there was no tomorrow. But I kept my cool and persevered with a graveness I didn't know I had in me. "I know it really hurt you when he left. Hell, it hurt Joeli and me too. It still hurts from time to time but I decided a while back that I wasn't going to let him stand between me and my life. I'm still gonna go to school, grow up, get married one day. And I'm not gonna let what Dad did to you affect the way I see all guys. I know that not everyone you meet can be trusted but that doesn't apply to everyone. Just because one guy cheats on you doesn't automatically mean that every guy will. There really are some good hearted people in this world, men too, and Ed and Al are two of them."

That was the longest speech I had ever got in. Usually, my mother wouldn't ever hear me out but, this time, she did. I think it was because I got to the heart of the matter and got through to her somehow. Despite this, her mother bear instincts didn't want to give up. She shifted and asked, "So you're blaming this on me now?"

I rolled my eyes, "No Momma. I'm saying that when Dad left it warped your opinion of all men. I know you've said you don't need a man to be happy and that your not gonna trust another man with your heart but I didn't make that same choice and neither did Joeli. We're still gonna grow up, fall in love one day, and live our lives and be happy. Sure we'll probably make mistakes but we'll try our hardest not to and when we do we'll learn from them. Just have a little faith that you taught your daughters to be smart enough to make the right decisions."

She stared at me for the longest time. Then she began shaking her head back iand forth. For a moment, I thought she was still angry at me. But then she said, "It sounds more like _you're_ the mom and _I'm_ the daughter."

"Hey, it's what I'm here for," I smiled, nudging her playfully. This was how our relationship worked. Some days she was the one giving the advice, other days she was the one receiving it. We balanced each other out nicely.

She finally smiled, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Love me," I suggested cheekily.

She laughed lightly and pulled me into a hug, "Oh, baby girl. You don't know how much I worry about you."

"I'm gonna take that in a good way," I responded.

Mom leaned back and looked me straight in the face, "So you really haven't had any sexual relations with these boys?"

I rolled my eyes and muttered, "I'd like to see anyone try to have sexual relations with Al."

"What was that? Are you having sexual relations with them or not?"

"Shhh! _Mother_! They are right in the next room and can probably hear you."

A sadistic gleam entered her eyes and she said sweetly, "Oh, I'm sorry." Then she stepped over to the door and pushed it wide open. All eyes from the other room turned to stare at us as my mom turned back to me, "Are you or are you not having sexual relations with these boys?"

Oh, God. Why me? I glanced past my mom to see everyone's reactions. Winry looked pale, Ed's jaw had dropped and his eyes were the widest I'd ever seen them, Al was…expressionless as always but I'm sure he was frozen in shock. Paninya just seemed to be barely holding in amused laughter. I'm sure my face must have been red with both anger and mortification. I had never wanted to go crawl in a hole so badly in my entire life.

"Well?" my mom prodded.

I gulped and managed in a clear enough voice, "No Mother. I have not."

"Alright then! Now let's go find somewhere to put my new clothes," she clapped her hands and marched off to retrieve where she had put her bags. She acted as if nothing had happened while I, on the other hand, felt like I would die from embarrassment.

I mustered up the remnants of my pride and walked over to the table to confront the others. I might as well face them and get it over with rather than suffer through the coming hours of awkwardness.

Surprisingly, Winry apologized to me, "Taylor, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned that dating stuff. I didn't realize your mom was so…critical."

I shook my head, "No, I'm the one who's sorry. I am so sorry for my mother's behavior. It's just when she gets something in her head it kinda stays there. She's even more stubborn than I am."

Al chuckled nervously, "It's okay. It's just her way of showing she cares, right?"

"Even if it is a strange way," Paninya commented.

"That's my mother," I sighed wearily. "Sometimes she just makes me wanna…" I held my hands ready to strangle.

And yes, I noticed that Ed said absolutely nothing.

Mom came back in with her bags and our conversation came to an end. We ate a late lunch and got ready to leave. Ed and Al probably would have stayed a night here but I just wanted to leave already before my mom said something even worse (though I doubt that was possible). I voiced my desire to leave and everyone was fine with it so we gathered our things, bid Winry farewell, and left for the train station.

* * *

><p><strong>Moms...can't live with them, can't be embarrassed without them.<strong>

**Hope you guys liked it. It was kinda a filler but it's getting us further along.**

**See you guys Sunday! Yeah, that's right, a DOUBLE CHAPTER WEEKEND! CAN I GET A WHO HA?**


	44. Chapter 44

**WHOO HOO! Over 700 reviews! I love you guys! You make me feel special!**

**Randomt thing that happened to me this week: I saw a cloud...shaped like Armstrong's face! It had the mustache, hair curl, and EVERYTHING! ...it was weird...but COOL!**

**Moving on, I'd like to thank 0Goddess Nyx0 who drew an amazing picture of Taylor. You can find it on deviantart on her profile where she goes by sadisticL or you can find it on mine in my favorited pictures.**

**Let's start this shindig!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 44<strong>

**Tribulations of the Heart (part 2)**

(-Taylor-)

We arrived to Dublith a couple hours after nightfall. Al had called ahead to let the Curtis's know that we were coming and they must have informed Mason because he was at the station when we exited the train.

"Hey, long time no see," he waved to everyone. Then his gaze rested on me and he smiled, "Taylor, I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked before I used my brain. Then I remembered and could have slapped my self. Last he had heard I had been kidnapped. Duh. "Oh yeah, that! Uh, Ed and Al took care of everything so it's all good."

He nodded and glanced at my mom, "And who's your friend? She looks a lot like you. Your older sister maybe?"

Ed snorted, "Aren't you the charmer, Mason."

My mom laughed, "No, I'm Taylor's mother. Nice to meet you, Mason was it?" He nodded and she asked, "How do you know Ed and Al's teacher?"

Mason explained while we walked through Dublith, "I work for Izumi and Sig at the butcher shop they own. I mostly do manual labor for them, picking up shipments and whatnot for them. Every now and then when they travel out of town I watch the store while they're away."

"Butcher shop, huh?" Mom said softly. "…That's kind of creepy."

"Mom," I smiled and rolled my eyes, "you've been watching too many horror movies. Sig and Izumi are nice people."

Ed scoffed, "I don't know what you're talking about but Teacher is one scary woman if you ask me."

"Yeah, she nearly killed us the last time we came here," Al said, shuddering as he recalled Izumi's rage.

I cringed as well. That hadn't been the best afternoon. But Izumi really was a nice person and had a soft motherly side and….oh shit…my mother was about to meet her…and be in the _same room_ as her…we were all doomed.

"Hey," Ed nudged me with his elbow. "You okay? You look pale…well, paler than usual."

I scowled at him but it didn't come off as frightening as I would like because I was currently worrying about the confrontation ahead, "I'm fine. Just wondering how introductions are gonna go."

He glanced at my mom who was talking to Mason again. His mind followed the same trail mine did and he grimaced, "This is not going to be a fun night." Then he leaned towards my ear and whispered softly, "We can try to make a break for it."

I smiled at his suggestion, "Disappear like ninjas when they're not looking, eh? Okay, I'm game."

We started to sneak off but two gauntlet hands grabbed our collars, effectively halting our escape.

"And where do you two think you're going?" Al asked.

"Busted," Ed sighed.

"How could you guys even think of sneaking off and leave me to face Teacher by myself?" Al chastised us.

"It was all Ed's idea," I pointed to him, immediately selling him out.

"What?" Ed shouted, gawking at me. "I thought you'd have my back, Taylor!"

"Oh, I'll always have your back," I agreed. "But when the zombie apocalypse is upon us and you're infected you are dead to me."

"You're not even making any sense!"

"Then my confusion tactics are working!" I laughed evilly, escaping Al's hold and jogging to where Mom and Mason had gone ahead of us.

"Get back here!" Ed yelled, but I could hear him laughing too.

We made it to Izumi's house and introductions were made. I braced myself for the imminent explosion but I was surprised when it never came. Shockingly enough, my mom and Izumi got along together splendidly.

"Really?" my mom asked.

Izumi nodded, "Yes, Taylor shows great promise as an alchemist but she has the poorest fighting skills I've ever seen. It's quite remarkable that someone so talented in alchemy is so inept when training the body."

Ed snickered at this. I glowered at him but said nothing. I would have spoken up but, for one this was Izumi we were talking about, and for two my excuse was weak. Sure I could tell her about my heart condition (haha, bet you didn't see that coming! Yes, I have a tiny hole in my heart along with irregular heart beating patterns and that makes it hard for me to do anything physical. I've never mentioned my condition before because I'm kinda heart broken about it…haha, see what I did there?). But I couldn't use that as an excuse because Izumi is an amazing fighter and she's missing _organs_. My little heart problem was nothing compared to what Izumi puts up with.

"Speaking of alchemy," Izumi said, her eyes scanning me over in a calculating way. She stared at the arrays running up and down my arms and disappearing underneath the confines of the dress I still wore. "I'd like to hear a firsthand account of how you got here, if you don't mind."

I nodded. If I didn't tell her everything then it would take away from the whole purpose of coming here for her help. With this in mind, I launched into telling her the entire story. And I do mean the _entire _story. Ed and Al didn't say anything when I explained how a Philosopher's Stone came to be inside me, but Izumi was certainly shocked.

"The stone merged with your body? And there haven't been any side affects?"

"Well, now that you mention it I get really tired after I use it."

My comment startled her, "You've actually used it?"

I averted my eyes in shame, "Yes, I have. The first few times I used it by accident, but that's no excuse. The only thing I can say is that I've only ever used it for good. I'd never take advantage of it."

She nodded, "I'm glad to hear it. Most people would abuse the stone's power if they were put in your position."

"I'm not most people."

She actually smiled at that, "Yes, I can see that."

We talked for a couple of hours, explaining all of the details. Now Izumi knew everything, from how my mother and I came to be here and how I'm able to use the stone. She inspected the arrays on my body that were exposed and was amazed at the intricacy of the design, mentioning something about the flawless way the energy flowed despite the patterns being complex. Her, Ed, and Al dove into a full scale alchemy discussion and left my mom and I in the dust. But at least I understood snippets of what they were saying because I had studied over quite a few alchemy texts. My poor mom was left in a state of utter confusion.

When it became late enough to call it a night, we all retired to our rooms. We'd pick up where we left off tomorrow, Izumi suggesting that we take the arrays that made up my tattoos and break them down. Once we could understand the basics of the arrays we could work our way up from there. Seemed smart in theory but I had a feeling that this would be harder than expected.

Mom and I shared a room while Ed and Al had their own. We went to bed and within minutes my mom was out like a light. I envied her ability to fall asleep so easily because my mind wouldn't shut off. The bed was perfectly comfortable but no matter how much I wished for sleep it wouldn't come. Thoughts flew in my head, thoughts of so many things. If Mom and I would be able to return home, where the timeline was at right now, if everything would get sorted out, and so much more. There was also the realization that if I left I would never see Ed and Al or anyone else from Amestris ever again. That last thought made me get out of bed in frustration and give up on the idea of sleep altogether.

I padded through the dark halls, the house eerily quite. In the living room, moonlight filtered past the window, causing shadows everywhere. The room had lots of wood furniture. The couch, chairs, coffee table, and bookshelves were all wood but it gave off a cozy feel. Especially when dark green cushions were added to the couch and chairs and a large green and yellow floral patterned square rug was placed under the coffee table. The bookshelves dominated the space, lining against the walls and filled to the brim with books.

I approached the numerous shelves, scanning through the selection. Most of them consisted of alchemy but there were also cookbooks and a couple of novels. I picked up one of the alchemy books, blanched when I saw how complicated it looked, and put it back to search for an easier read. I finally found one that looked comprehensible and took it to the couch where I could read it by the light of the moon.

Surprisingly, I found the entries very interesting. The transmutations centered around plants, reminding me of Russell and Fletcher. It made me smile and wonder if I would run into them while I was here. Eh, probably not.

"Hey."

I jumped and snapped my head around to see Ed standing in the doorway, "God, Ed. Make a noise or something next time. You nearly gave me a heart attack."

He ignored my comment and asked, "What are you doing up so late?"

"I couldn't sleep and I thought I'd check out Izumi's collection," I held up the book I was reading. "And you?"

"Couldn't sleep either," he ran a hand through his loose blonde hair. He must have been in bed before he came in here because he was in sleep clothes. He wore sweat pants and a black tank top.

"Did you try counting sheep?"

He looked at me as if I were crazy, "Why would I do that?"

I shrugged, "They say it helps get you to sleep. Whoever thought of that was an idiot though because it just makes me dizzy with all the numbers."

I went back to my book, eager to learn how to make plants grow with alchemy. I felt the couch move slightly with the weight of someone sitting on the other end and then, suddenly, there were two feet resting in my lap. I lowered my book and glared at the offending limbs in hatred and disgust, "Get your nasty feet away from me."

Ed pouted and removed his feet but remained laying down, "Can you at least give me the pillow? These wooden arms aren't exactly soft."

I clutched at the pillow laying on my lap and said, "Nope. I had it first. If you want a pillow go get your own."

"But I don't want to get up."

I groaned at his laziness, "Then find a more comfortable way to lay on the couch."

I expected him to make some smart remark but he didn't. He took my advice…but not in the way I expected.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my eye twitching.

"Finding a more comfortable way to lay on the couch," he smiled. He had reversed his position, his head now resting on the pillow in my lap.

"You're so annoying."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"I know."

"Grr!" I growled, letting my book flop on his face. It lay open on him, hiding his expression.

Ed didn't say anything, nor did he make any move to remove the book. He remained perfectly motionless, which irritated me further. I counted inwardly until I reached a full minute. Then I picked up a corner of the book to peek at his face. He laid there with his eyes closed as if he were asleep, but I knew better.

"You better not fall asleep on me," I muttered. He gave no indication on whether he heard me. I frowned and picked up the book, "Fine. Whatever. See if I care." I purposefully stuck my nose in the book to begin reading again. My mind was elsewhere and was not focused on the book at all though. Instead, I kept my senses fixated on a certain blonde. Just what was he up to anyway? Sure me and Ed were good friends but he usually kept his distance from people, even those closest to him. So why was he acting so comfortable around me as if it were the most normal thing in the world?

"How's the book?" he asked me.

I almost jumped at the sound of his voice, "Um, it's good. Very interesting stuff."

"Oh really…"

"Yep."

"…you do realize that you're holding it upside down, right?"

I blinked and really looked at the words in front of me. Just as he had said, the words were all upside down.

_Well…this is awkward…_

I slammed the book closed and tossed it on the end table beside me, "Well, I was reading it before you came in and distracted me."

His eyes were still shut but his lips twitched, fighting a smile, "What am I doing that's so distracting?"

"You're breathing."

He peeked out of one eye and cracked a smile. I swept my hand over the open eye and said, "Stop looking at me like that." He opened the other eye and stared at me with humor set deep in his eyes. I covered that one too. "You're a pain, ya know that?"

"I get that a lot," he said.

"Gee, I wonder why?" I replied sarcastically.

Out of the blue, he turned serious, "Taylor." He caught my hand and slid it down his face to let it rest on his chest, revealing his eyes. His golden irises appeared translucent in the light of the moon. "I wanted to ask you something."

My breath caught in my throat. The way he was gazing at me, it made my heart skip a beat. "What is it?"

"Are you sure about this? Going back to your side of the gate?"

"Yes," I answered immediately. His question surprised me but what surprised me more was how unconvincing my answer was. "I mean, it's what I gotta do."

"How do you figure?"

I pondered the question for a moment, "I guess it's because of something Truth told me when it summoned my soul to the gate. It said that to win this game I had to lose. I think that means I have to leave this side and go back to mine; lose Amestris and everyone in it and win my home and family and friends. It's the only thing that I could think of…but I…" But I what? What more was there? Sure I'd lose everything here, but I've known since the beginning that I would have to go back home at some point. Nothing had changed…or so I thought.

"What if we never unlock the secrets of your arrays?" he speculated. "Or what if we do and it turns out to be a disaster? This isn't a simple transmutation we're dealing with. This is dimensional alchemy and if we make one mistake it could cost your life."

"What else do you want me to do?"

"We could keep searching for another way, one that's safer," he suggested, but his eyes seemed to say something different.

"Ed, I'm not sure if there is another way. I think the secret to accessing the gate lies in my tattoos. I know it'll be dangerous but I've got to get my mom and I home somehow. And if I beat Truth at it's own game then I can get Hughes back too. And if I'm gone then Fate will have no reason to keep popping up and you and Al can get back to searching for a way to restore your bodies."

"Everything will go back to normal," he said in a dismal tone, closing his eyes once again.

I poked his cheek, "Hey, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he mumbled. I didn't believe him for a second.

I tugged at his bangs, "Come on Ed, if something's bothering you, you can talk to me about it."

He said nothing. He could have been considering telling me, or he could have been ignoring me. I couldn't tell which. So I sat patiently, deciding not to pester him. If he wanted to talk about it he would, so I would wait until then. In the meantime, I sighed and continued to play with his hair, letting my hand drift through the soft strands. Ed didn't protest so I continued.

_He really is beautiful_, I thought, admiring him. If he lived in my world then a lot of people would pay good money to hire him as a model because of his looks, but that's not why he was beautiful in my eyes. He had a way with words, and when he wasn't using them to yell at someone or piss them off he used them to motivate. The things he said held wisdom that only living a hard life brought. Many horrible things had happened to him but he was strong enough to pull through them and not let those events crush him. And then there were his actions. With Edward, he brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'actions speak louder than words' because his truly did. He wasn't afraid to stand up for what he believed in and he would protect the people he cared about even at the cost of his own life. That's why I admire him so much, even back when I was at home.

_And now, here he is, lying on my lap like a platter of bacon: tempting and irresistible. Al would be more like biscuits: sweet but you can resist them if you tried hard enough. But bacon? Uh-uh. No one can resist bacon…Wait, am I seriously comparing Ed and Al to breakfast foods?_

I shook my head. What was I thinking? I should really think of something before I start to seriously question my sanity…hm, bunnies? Nah…I could always sing my theme song. Wait, since when did I have a theme song? But now that I think about it I really should have one. I wonder if other people have theme songs. Does Ed have a theme song? Probably not, he isn't really the musical type. Maybe I should give him one.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Ed was enjoying the peacefulness and the feel of Taylor's hand flowing through his hair in an almost hypnotic way that was lulling him towards sleep. Ed had just been thinking earlier that day about how he wasn't a touchy-feely person but after he had thought that he had realized something. By nature Ed had always kept his guard up between him and the rest of the world and the only person he could ever let it down completely with was Al, so it surprised him when he had noticed he could do the same around Taylor. He didn't know for how long he had done this but he had to admit, he felt at ease around Taylor. In fact, right now he felt completely comfortable. There was just something about her that was soothing to him and he didn't mind being so close to her. It just felt…_right_ somehow. They had went through a lot together so it was natural that they would grow closer as friends, but this was different because it was Taylor herself that soothed him, not just the mutual trust gained between two comrades.

Their relationship had been rocky in the beginning but now it was rock solid. He valued that greatly and even more so since the moment he agreed to search for her and her mom a way back home. He knew it was selfish but…he wanted her to stay. Half of his mind told him how idiotic that was. After all, he always knew that she would have to go home eventually. That was always _eventually _though, not in a week or so. Besides, she missed her home and that's where she belonged. There would be no equivalent exchange if he asked her to give it up to stay here. However, the other half of him didn't care about that. All his life he had given things up, his mom, his body, his childhood, his home, and ultimately his life when he joined the military, and yet, he had never been given anything in return. Where was the equivalency in that? Couldn't he just get one thing without worrying about the consequences?

_No_, he decided. That was just the way this cruel world worked. Taylor needed to go home, and when she did Ed needed to return to searching for a way to get Al's body back. That was the most important thing that mattered to him…right?

Ed noticed that Taylor had stopped playing with his hair and opened his eyes to see what she was doing. He nearly jumped when he saw her staring at him. "What is it?"

She shrugged, "Oh nothing, I was just trying to think of a theme song for you."

"A theme what?" he asked, bewildered.

She smirked, "I guess that means you don't have one then. That means I'll just have to give you one. And I think I know the perfect one! You know that song, 'On the Brightside'?" Then she face palmed, "Duh, of course you don't. Anyway, it really reminds me of you."

"…okay?" Ed said unsurely. "Does it mention alchemy or something?"

She shook her head and smiled, "No, nothing like that. I'd have to sing it for you to understand."

Ed smirked and gave her an evil look.

Taylor slumped, "Oh crap, you're gonna make me sing it now aren't you? What if I just say no?"

"Then I'll make you anyway," he said, that look still on his face.

She cringed, considering all of the things he could do to force her. "Alright, alright. Fine, you win this round Elric. Just don't laugh at me." She cleared her throat and was about to begin but she stopped and stared at him in annoyance. She pushed his face, "Don't look at me while I'm doing it!"

Ed grumbled but complied. He heard her take a deep breath and begin to sing softly but loud enough that he could hear her.

"_I met a man of two feet tall_,"

"Hey! Are you implying something?" he asked, infuriated.

"Yes, I'm implying that you need to shut up and listen to the rest of the song," she thumped his face. He settled back down and she began again, "_I met a man of two feet tall. This man was quite ambitious, in a world that is so vicious to us all. I said 'hi', as he replied, 'listen to these words that I have lived by my whole life': You're only as tall, as your heart will let you be, and you're only as small, as the world will make you seem. And when the going gets rough, and you feel like you may fall, just look on the bright side, you're roughly six feet tall_."

She watched him for a while, waiting for a reaction. He closed his eyes and a small smile graced his lips, "I quite like that song."

Taylor laughed, "I thought you might."

They sat in relative silence for a few minutes. That is, until Ed felt Taylor move. He looked to see what she was doing and discovered her face mere inches from his own. When he opened his eyes she paused and looked back at him. Ed's face heated from the sudden closeness and intimacy of the situation and wondered what Taylor was doing. Why was she looking at him like that? And why did it makes Ed feel…warm?

Taylor swallowed and regained her composure. "There's a string in your hair," she said, reaching to pluck it out of his hair. She flicked the tiny black thread away and began to lean back to her original position.

Without thinking about it, Ed caught her retreating hand with his automail one. She stopped, watching him carefully. Her eyes were the darkest he'd ever seen them with only the faintest tinge of moonlight reflecting in them. He reached up with his other hand and brushed her bangs away to better view her face. She looked at him as if to ask, 'What are you doing?' He answered back with a look of his own, 'I don't know'. He truly didn't know what he was doing. His body and mind were urged by instinct and he let it lead him, allowing himself to lean upwards and closer to her. He kept his hand on her cheek, gently caressing her soft flesh and feeling a rush of delight when she leaned into the touch. He dared to go further, resting his forehead against hers as her breath ghosted across his face. But still, it was not close enough.

Taylor, finally regaining her ability to speak, whispered, "Don't."

Confused, he asked, "Why not?"

"Because," she swallowed and tried again, "because if you do I…I'll…"

"You'll what?" he asked patiently. Did she not want this too? Was she not experiencing this heat either?

This time, Taylor met his eyes full on and said, "If you do I'll never want to leave."

Ed's heart thudded hard in his chest at her statement. She gazed at him, conveying with her eyes how she needed to stop this but how she wanted to continue at the same time. She didn't look at him with rejection, but with desperate desire. Ed could understand why she had told him not too, how she didn't want any more attachments here than she already had. However, Ed really was selfish and being this close to her and breathing in her intoxicating scent was making his thoughts more and more incoherent. Ed was an impulsive person, and this situation did not change that.

He closed the gap between them, locking his lips with hers. She gripped his shirt, not to push him back but to pull him closer and deepen the kiss. She turned her head so he would have a better angle as his hands abruptly had a mind of their own, roaming up her shoulders to tangle in her hair. She tasted like, he couldn't even describe how amazing it was! The best he could describe it was the taste of life itself, and it left him breathless and wanting more. Her lips parted just so that he could use the opening, daring to venture inside the moist cavern with his tongue. A small whimper escaped her, the vibrations of the sound causing Ed to give a deep throated moan. He used his hold on her to pull her down gently. She followed his lead, not wanting any space to come between them.

Taylor hovered over him as his head rested on the pillow in her lap once again. His hands wandered down her back and up again, making her shiver. One of her hands ventured up to slide up his neck, along his jaw, and up the side of his face, eliciting a shiver of his own with her feather light touches. Fire ran rampart through his veins and he felt as if he would burst with the heat filling up inside of him. Each kiss, every sound and touch, brought more fire until they would both certainly be consumed by the flames of passion. Though Ed was new to these sensations, it felt utterly natural to him…to be with her.

Dizzy from lack of air, Ed regretfully broke the intense kiss. He panted and Taylor wasn't in any better shape. Her cheeks were flushed as she breathed in oxygen through slightly swollen lips. She stared down at him with eyes unfocused and glazed over.

"Ed?"

Both of them jumped at the voice and they separated a moment before Al entered the room. "Oh there you are."

"Al," Ed said shakily with a bit of guilt in his tone. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, you were gone a while. I was making sure you weren't getting into trouble."

Ed scoffed, "Come on, Al. Don't you have any faith in your older brother?"

"…"

"That's harsh. Real harsh," Ed scowled at him.

"So what are you doing up?" Al asked Taylor, changing the subject.

"I, uh, couldn't sleep." she answered.

"Me either!" Al replied perkily. Taylor laughed at that, but she seemed really nervous and whenever her eyes strayed to Ed she would blush heavily and look away. Ed did the same, not really sure what to make out of the incident.

* * *

><p><strong>ARE YOU GUYS HAPPY NOW? HUH? IT FINALLY HAPPENED, SO THERE! But just so you know I had a hard time writing this. I almost had Al walk in right before they kissed but I changed my mind at the last second. I was talking to my little sis about it too and this was our conversation:<strong>

**LeFay: **I keep switching back and forth on whether they're gonna kiss in this chapter. I keep thinking, yes! no...yes!...no...

**YourSecretStalker: **YES! FOR GOD SAKE WOMAN EVERYBODY WANTS IT TO HAPPEN!

**LeFay: **lol, okay, I'll take your advice.

_Five minutes later..._

**LeFay: **Oh no...this is bad...

**YourSecretStalker: **What?

**LeFay:** ...I just got writer's block...

**YourSecretStalker: **...WHY NOW OF ALL TIME RIGHT WHEN YOU WERE GONNA MAKE YOUR CHARACTERS IN YOUR STORY KISS!

**LeFay: **idk...and I don't like it either...

**Heh, well as you can see I managed to get over my momentary crisis of writer's block.**

**I'll see you guys next week! Unless the aliens come and get me before then...I swear they must be working with the trees or something...beware the trees...**


	45. Chapter 45

**Yosh! Here's the new chappy! Sorry about the delay but for some reason this chapter was very difficult to write and I wasn't exactly sure how the next few chapters were gonna play out. I got everything together now so it's all good. :)**

**I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter. 46 reviews! That's a new record! I feel so loved and truly thankful that you guys took the time to leave a comment. Reviews are to me like brownies are to Taylor.**

**Taylor: Would you stop it with the brownies already? You're gonna give everyone the impression that I'm a fat kid that only thinks about food.**

**LeFay: So I take it you don't want a brownie? *pulls out brownie platter***

**Taylor: *instantly distracted***

**Haha, anyway. For those of you who have been asking to hear a little more about Taylor's life I included a bit of insight in this chapter. Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 45<strong>

**Tribulations of the Heart (part 3)**

(-Taylor-)

The throbbing muscles in my neck woke me up. I cracked an eye open, very displeased to be conscious. I tried to move to lay in a more comfortable position, that is, until I discovered something heavy weighing me down. I snapped my eyes open to find the weight's source.

The first thing that filled my vision was the honey locks of hair, then followed the boy they belonged to. Ed slept peacefully, curled up on his side with his upper half on my lap. He laid the same way as he had last night.

_Last night…_ That's right. I had fallen asleep on the couch, not a bed. Al had come into the living room last night and while the three of us were chatting I must have fallen asleep…and Ed's head had somehow weaseled its way back onto my lap.

A steady blush crept up my neck and into my cheeks as I recalled what else had occurred last night. Or wait, was that a dream? It had to have been a dream. Yes, it was definitely a dream. There was no way that Ed would kiss me in real life.

_You have very perverted dreams_, my inner self told me.

_Shut up! I didn't ask for your opinion._

_Seeing as how I'm you that doesn't really matter._

_I don't care. Just go away._

_Sure. I'll just…step in the other room for awhile._

_Idiot._

_Says the girl who's talking to herself._

I smacked my head. I was talking to myself again. It seemed I'd been doing that more often since coming to Amestris.

A shifting in the body sleeping on me halted my thoughts and froze me in place. Ed snuggled into my stomach and stilled once more. The red blush returned to my face again as the memories of last night washed away my doubts. Yes, Edward Elric had kissed me last night. And yes, I had liked it very much. Just remembering it sent my heart into wild flutters and a tingle through my smiling lips.

_No! Bad Taylor! You shouldn't be smiling! This only complicates things!_

_I hate you,_ I told my rational side. What's worse, it was right.

I covered my face, letting out a barely audible whine in frustration. I didn't intend for that to happen. Sure, I knew I liked Ed like that and I had thought about kissing him, quite a few times I might add. But again, _I didn't think it would actually happen!_ Or that he would be the one to kiss me! This was Ed I was talking about, the guy who looks more at alchemy books than at girls. Despite that, I had somehow gained his attention. But was that a good thing? Yes…no? Ugh…

I wanted it to happen, there was no doubt about that. As for need…no, I didn't need for this to happen. Kissing Ed only confused me and complicated things. Before, I had accepted my fate: to return home with my mother even knowing I would never see my friends from Amestris again. It would have hurt, going back home and wondering what might have been. But now? After sharing such an intimate moment with Ed it had shaken my resolve. If I went back in this state of mind it would pain me more because I knew exactly how Ed's lips tasted, how his caresses sent electric jolts through me that made me feel alive, and how his smoldering gaze would melt me. I would be forced to mourn those feelings he had sparked within me. And because of this I was trying desperately to come up with a way to stay.

I dropped my hands, glaring at the subject of my thoughts. The glare quickly dissolved into a small smile at the adorable little frown that remained on his face even in the depths of sleep. Forgetting my previous troubles, I brushed the bangs away from his face, letting my fingers drift over his skin. In response, he sighed softly and he nuzzled closer to me. I gave a whispery laugh. He was like a cat.

Speaking of cats, I was betting that Al was busy finding another stray. He was absent from the living room and it looked pretty cold outside, what with the snow and all. He would probably smuggle a kitten in from the harsh weather…wait…

"SNOOOOW!" I squealed, jumping up from the couch to run for the door.

"Ow!" I heard from behind me. "What the hell…"

I paused by the door and glanced behind me. In my haste I had forgotten Ed was laying on me, thus, resulting in him falling ungracefully to the floor…oops…

"Sorry," I apologized half heartedly and swept out the door before he could being ranting at me.

I gasped as white filled my vision. There was snow _everywhere_! It was incredible! The blanket of white layered every surface in the delicate snow, making as far as the eye can see a beautiful white landscape.

"SNOW!" I cheered again, running over to a particularly large pile and flopping down in it. Immediately, I hopped back up, "Cold! Cold! But ah! I love it!"

"Big deal, it's just snow," Ed grumbled from the open doorway. He scowled at the fluffy white masses as if it offended him. Oh yeah, I forgot he hated the cold because of his automail.

"It's a big deal to me!" I replied, picking up a handful of snow and savoring soft texture while trying not to think about how cute Ed looked when he was grumpy or how my cheeks blushed without my consent. "Where I live we only get snow once every three years, _if_ we're lucky. I don't get to see it that often." I'd always loved snow, considering it as magical. It had the ability to turn an old country small town like Farmerville(my hometown) into a winter wonderland.

I glanced back at Ed. He was still scowling at the snow. A devilish smirk pulled at the corner of my mouth. With my newly made snowball, I threw it right at Ed's unsuspecting face.

"Hey!" he yelled, wiping the bits of ice from his face. He glared at me as his face reddened in anger, his fury so much I could practically see it melting the remaining snow on his head.

"Ha, ha! You're face was priceless!" I giggled, pointing at him.

"That's it!" he growled, charging after me.

"Eeep!" I squeaked, going to run. I didn't stand a chance. He caught me in less than a second, picking me up and spinning me around. Then he tossed me into a large pile of snow. I popped out of it to see him smirking at me smugly.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You sir…have incurred my wrath… RAWR!" I began grabbing chunks of snow and throwing it at him. He dodged and returned fire. I had the upper hand…for the first five seconds. The dirty little cheat used alchemy to make a snow cannon that shot off snowball after snowball. After about three dozen balls of snow hitting me, I accepted my defeat with honor.

"Ah, you got me!" I proclaimed dramatically, holding a hand to my heart as if I were fatally wounded. I sank to one knee, prolonging my 'death' by saying, "Thou tis a worthy opponent! I submit!" As I sank to my other knee Ed paused firing, watching my act with amusement. "I have…but a last request. Tell Al… that his body really is as big as heart. Tell my mom…that dent in her car door came from me, not the lady at the grocery store. And tell LeFay…that she needs to get a life. And Ed…think fondly of me…whenever you eat brownies." And with that I flopped to the ground 'dead'.

Ed fell to the ground as well, howling with laughter. He laughed so hard tears were coming out of his eyes. I had to laugh too, it was just too much. Last night I had been extremely nervous of what would become of us the next morning, if it would be awkward or he would ignore me or something along those lines. It pleased me to see that we were still our same old selves with each other.

"Taylor Riley! Edward Elric! Get your butts in this house before you freeze to death out there!"

Ed and I looked up to see my mom standing at the open front door, staring us down with eyes full of flames so hot they could melt the snow. We cringed under her gaze.

"_Mom_, I'm not three. A little snow's not gonna kill me," I rolled my eyes.

"Have you even looked at what you're wearing?"

I blinked at her question and looked down. Sure enough, I was in a tank top and sweat pants and the same went for Ed. No wonder I was so cold.

She crossed her arms and in a tone not open to complaints, she ordered, "Now get in here before you two catch a cold."

"Yes ma'am," Ed and I mumbled, trudging indoors. As we passed her and entered the house I could feel the weight of her gaze on me. I was just lucky that she hadn't woke up sooner and found me asleep on the couch with Ed. Or wait…Did she know? Was her momma bear instincts kicking in? Oh, who was I kidding? Of course she knows! She's Mom, she somehow knows everything.

"Taylor."

"Yes!" I squeaked, turning back to her.

She frowned at me, "After you get dried off come help me and Izumi with breakfast."

"O-okay," I stammered, plastering a smile on my face. I bolted from the room, racing to our shared room and closing the door behind me. I let out a shaky breath. Mom, although suspicious(which was a constant thing with her), apparently didn't know. But if she found out I had slept in the living room last night with Ed she would skin me alive!

I rushed drying off and changing clothes, grabbing a pair of dark blue jeans and a cute purple sweater. I had taken to wearing the flamel necklace Ed had given me and hardly ever took it off, but since it didn't match I tucked it under my shirt. I checked myself in the mirror, deciding to tie my hair up in a messy bun. Giving myself a few glances I confirmed that I looked good. Then I smacked my forehead. Since when was I concerned about how I looked? I mean, sure I wanted to be decent for the public eye but I was never overly concerned about it. I told myself I was just doing it for myself because I wanted to look good for myself and it was _not_ because I wanted to look good for Ed. Nope.

I went to the kitchen to help Mom and Izumi with breakfast. Mom knew how poor my cooking skills were but somehow managed to find me simple enough tasks, like stirring the pancake mix and whatnot. Izumi and Mom were chatting like old friends, and yes it was weird.

Soon, we had enough pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, and hash browns to feed an army, or one Ling. Everyone was called to the table and began digging in, well, everyone except Al. I had told Mom that Al didn't eat and though she found it strange she didn't ask. Mom and Izumi carried most of the conversation while Ed, Al, and I were looking at them warily. I guess they were just as weirded out about their easy ability to get along as I was. Again, I had not expected that. Next thing I knew they would be exchanging recipes.

After breakfast, Izumi suggested we get to work on cracking my alchemy tattoos. Al was washing dishes and my mom had offered to help him so they were in the kitchen. Sig had went to do…butcher stuff. So that left me with Izumi and Ed.

"First things first," Izumi stated, "I'll need to get a better look at those arrays. Come with me, Taylor." She walked off down the hall and I left after her. I glanced over my shoulder to find Ed following us. I stopped and put my hands on my hips.

"What?" he asked in surprise.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "You stay here."

"But I want to see your arrays too," he protested.

My eyes darkened, "Reaper…CHOP!"

"Ow!" Ed cried, holding his head where I karate chopped him. "What was that for?"

"For being a pervert! Like I'm really gonna take off my shirt in front of you."

"Pervert? What do you…_Oh_…" he said as he caught on. He had the decency to look embarrassed and said, "I'll, uh, just be in here then."

"You better," I told him firmly, spinning on my heel to catch up with Izumi.

Behind closed doors, I bared my upper half. Yeah, it was kinda embarrassing, but Izumi stayed strictly professional. At least she was a female. I don't know what I would have done if we couldn't have found a female alchemist like Izumi to help us. I'd probably end up having to show Ed and Al all of my tattoos…God, talk about awkward!

Izumi inspected all of my arrays, copying them on papers so that the others could see them and we wouldn't have to repeat this procedure. About half an hour later we went back to the living room where Ed had been talking to Al and my mom. Let me tell you, when Izumi showed the copies of my tattoos the two boys lit up like it was Christmas morning. I couldn't help but laugh at them. It was cute, really.

The rest of the day was…boring. Mom and I mostly watched as the three alchemists worked together to solve the oh so mysterious puzzle of the circles. They broke the arrays down to determine the roles of each rune and line. They scoured over volumes of books and research. I really couldn't understand most of what they were saying but I did comprehend that the circles had a weird configuration that included all of the elements and how they blended together in some flawless energy powered design. They experimented with a few of the broken down circles, combining them with others to layer the arrays to see what worked and what didn't work and the outcome of each one. By noon, Mom and I were playing Goldfish, letting the alchemists have at it. And by nightfall I was tired…from doing nothing all day…I'm so lazy.

Despite being tired, I felt antsy. To calm down some, I took my flute outside to play on the back porch. I fell in love all over again with the beautiful instrument. I hadn't been able to play it since the last time we were in Dublith so I was very happy to reacquaint myself with it. Usually the music would soothe me. Not tonight. More thoughts, similar to last night's, distracted me.

"That's a very lovely tune."

I paused and glanced to my right. Izumi sat on the steps beside me, giving me a warm smile.

"Thanks," I smiled back. I set my flute in my lap, staring down at it. "So, have you guys learned anything?"

"Yes," she answered confidently. "It's quite possible to send you and your mother back to the other side. It will take some time, but once we eliminate the risks we will be able to."

I nodded, "If I go home you'll need to destroy those arrays afterwards. I don't want them falling into the wrong hands."

I expected Izumi to agreed with me. She only stared. "Taylor, is there something bothering you?"

I blinked at her, taken aback, "What makes you say that?"

"You said 'if' not 'when' you go home."

"I, uh…" I stared at her dumbly. Had I really said that? Then I laughed nervously, "Oh, uh, I meant if you guys crack the code! But I don't mean that offensively! I believe you guys can! But I just…"

She held up a hand, beckoning me to stop my rambling. "You're having second thoughts, aren't you?" she asked, cutting right to the chase.

"No!" I answered to fast, not convincing her in the slightest. I tried to keep eye contact and will her to believe me but I couldn't even believe myself. I looked away from her unwavering gaze. I sighed in defeat, "I don't know anymore."

"Is there something on the other side making you hesitant?" she asked. I shook my head and she nodded, "So it's something here that gives you qualms about leaving."

"I'm…worried. What if I leave and then something bad happens here? I wouldn't be able to help. I wouldn't even know. I can't be sure if something I've done here will effect the outcome of every persons' life I've come into contact with. I'm afraid to leave too soon."

She stared at me and asked in a patient, knowing voice, "Is that what's really worrying you?"

I glanced at her and looked away just as quick, "Maybe." I fingered my flute, watching the keys respond to my actions. "That's part of it, at least."

"It's those boys." I looked at her with wide eyes. She smirked, "Nothing gets past me. I could tell from your first visit that you care deeply for them. You don't want to part ways with them because you're afraid you'll never see them again."

She had hit it, dead on the money. My hands clenched onto my instrument as the rest of me trembled. "Yes… They're like family to me. I knew since the beginning that I would have to leave at some point, but I never really thought about it. It's just starting to sink in that I'll be leaving soon. Truth told me that I had to lose in order to win. I think it was talking about them. I'd have to lose any chance of seeing them ever again or anyone else in Amestris for that matter. Sure, I've missed home so much, but it hurts to think that I'll lose them forever. I have my mother to think about and everyone back home but I love Ed and Al too and I don't know what to do about it."

Izumi was calm for the most part except a small twitch of surprise. I suppose she didn't expect me to go right out and confess my love for them. That was how I was though. If I cared for someone I would tell them and have their back no matter what.

"I guess I should have known better," I chuckled humorlessly. "I shouldn't have gotten so attached to them to where I wouldn't want to leave them."

"Don't say that," Izumi said sharply. "Saying that would be regretting loving those boys, which you shouldn't because Edward and Alphonse are worth it."

I nodded slowly, letting her words sink in. I knew, more than most people, how much they were worth it.

Finally, I said, "I do love them, and I don't regret it. But it doesn't really matter because I've got no choice." I shouldn't be considering staying here because, truth was I couldn't. I _had _to go home. There was no way I'd win Truth's twisted game if I didn't. Plus, now that Mom had found me again she would never let me go. And I had all the people back home to think about.

"There's always a choice," Izumi spoke. "Sometimes it's hard to see another way but you just have to look. You always have other options. Never forget that." With that, she stood and went to go back indoors.

"Izumi," I called, making her turn back to me. "What do you think I should do?"

She paused to think about her answer. "…Do whatever _you_ think you need to. Don't let what anyone else says stop you from listening to your heart." She sent me one last smile and went inside.

I sat there for a long time. For the first few minutes I was thinking of what Izumi said and how fortune cookie it sounded. Then I laughed and shook my head. Even if it did sound like it came from a fortune cookie, it was great advice. Lastly, I faced the most important question. _What exactly is it that I need to do?_…

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The following week was boring and long. Izumi and her students poured over various alchemy text books and deciphered each separate piece that made up my tattoos. For the most part, Mom and I left them to do their work and spent time catching up. I asked her what happened after I had left. Understandably, she said that she and Joeli thought I had died when I fell off the cliff. A search and rescue team had been sent out but they couldn't find a trace of where I went, assuming that the tide had washed me out to sea. They spent days hunting for me. Of course, they never found me. I asked if they had found that weird tunnel I had woken up in where I had found the Philosopher's Stone. Mom said they didn't, making me wonder how I got there. Truth probably had something to do with it.

Mom and Joeli stayed in Ireland for as long as they could. When Mom had to finally accept that I was gone, she and my little sis went back home. They had spent the entire Christmas break, plus more, looking for me. That must have been one hell of a Christmas. After they were home Joeli hardly slept in the bedroom we shared, choosing to bunk with Mom in her room instead. I couldn't imagine how painful it must have been for the two of them.

She explained to me how she told everyone back at home that I had died. She had called Dad. He may not be in our lives anymore but he still lived in Farmerville and every once and awhile he'd show up and visit but it usually only caused trouble. He hadn't said much, probably in shock and at a loss for words. He called my mom back a couple days later completely drunk, crying and blaming my mom for not taking care of me. That infuriated me because my mom was the only one who took care of me and Joeli. He was such a damn hypocrite!

After that she told my friends. My band director had canceled practice that week, no one feeling that it was right to play. My fellow band members, who were like a second family to me, took it hard. But my three closest friends took it the hardest. Amy, sure to be the future valedictorian of our class and the most down to Earth girl I knew had openly cried in front of the whole class when she found out. It touched me so much because she never let anyone see her cry, ever. Then Ragan, a joker who laughed at death, skipped school that day. And the next day too. He had always been the closest thing I'd had to a brother growing up. And then there was LeFay. My best friend who knew me like the back of my hand and was always there when I needed her and vice versa…She had been at school like Amy and Ragan when she heard the news. She had an anxiety attack and the school had to call her grandparents, who she lived with, to come and take her back home. LeFay didn't come back to school for almost two weeks and when she did she wouldn't talk to anyone. She didn't say much at all for nearly a month and even then she wasn't quite the same. LeFay had always been an outgoing, jovial person, her head in the clouds and smiling constantly. I knew from experience though that whenever she was really upset about something she would shut down and say nothing. For her to go nearly a month without saying anything told me how much my death had impacted her. Despite their loss, the three of them went out of their way to visit my mom and sister and help them through that hard time. After all, my mom was like a second mother to all of my friends and we had always hung out all together, going to the mall or swimming at the lake. So when one of us was gone the rest clung together to better bear the pain.

I cried for my friends and what they must have gone through. It couldn't have been easy. I would be just as upset if it had been one of them. This only increased my desire to return home so that I could wash away their worries. Let them know I was okay. This gave me another reason I should go home.

After that, I decided that this was what I needed to do. I _needed_ to return home. I had family and friends waiting for me. But even that was part of the smaller picture. I couldn't stay here, not if I wanted to win Truth's game and return Hughes's soul back. Plus, I would no longer be interfering with the timeline here. With that in mind, I put all my focus into returning home, helping Izumi and them whenever I could and avoiding Ed and Al when it was possible. I needed to distance myself from them or else my resolve would waver.

I don't think Al noticed my avoidance but Ed did. He'd watch me sometimes as if trying to figure out a puzzle. He never brought the subject up though, choosing instead to seek me out whenever possible and chat with me. It was extremely awkward, mostly due to um…yeah, you know…*blush*. That day it had snowed it seemed that things were just dandy between us. Now it was just plain awkward even managing to keep a normal conversation up.

All things considered, everything was okay. That is, until that Friday. That's when everything crashed and burned.

The sun had begun to set, drenching the town in a hazy orange. I sat outside, drawing in my sketchbook. It would probably be one of my favorite drawings yet. In the picture I stood smiling with my arms around Ed and Al's shoulders. Al was laughing, holding a very familiar armored helmet under his arm. Ed was frowning at us but a smile shown in his eyes, showing how happy he was.

I didn't even notice when the door opened.

"Taylor."

"Yikes!" I cried, jumping up and twirling around. There, stood Ed. I gave him the nastiest glare I could muster, "That's it. I'm going to have to put a bell on you."

He arched an eyebrow but made no comment. He shifted his stance as if he wanted to say something.

"What is it, Ed?" I asked, tucking my sketchbook under my arm and waiting for him to say whatever was on his mind.

He wasn't exactly nervous. He just seemed to be bracing himself for what he was about to say. When he was ready he asked me straight on, "Why have you been avoiding me lately?"

I stiffened. I should have seen this coming. He is a prodigy after all, and a perceptive one at that. So how should I respond? I could deny it. I could tell him the truth. Or I could just run like hell…

No, I couldn't lie to him. He deserved the truth. "Because it'd make it easier on all of us."

"What do you mean by that?" he asked stubbornly.

I blew out a gust of breath, "Ed, this is already gonna be hard enough as it is. I'm doing what I need to do."

He crossed his arms and asked challengingly, "Is this about when I kissed you?"

I clenched my fists in anger, which surprised me. Why was I getting so worked up over this? "To tell the truth, yes it has something to do with this."

"But I thought…you wanted to…" he seemed confused and annoyed as well.

"What did you think, Edward?" I snapped in absolute fury. Shocked by my sudden ferocity , Ed took a step back. "Did you think everything would just be fine? Did you think that I wouldn't go home? That I would stay after that? Did you do it just to make me stay?" I had considered this for the past week, that he might have only kissed me to convince me to stay…that he had used my feelings for him against me…that he didn't really feel anything for me too. I would never doubt that we were close friends, but I couldn't be sure if the feelings I had for him were mutual.

I surprised him again and he was none too happy about my accusation. "You honestly believe that I would use you like that?"

"I don't know!" I nearly shouted at him. "I think that you wanted me to stay, and God knows I want to. And that's the problem! I want to stay so bad it hurts but I know that I can't. I can't stay here and I'm trying to do what I need to do but I can't because…"

His eyes flickered with some emotion I couldn't read, "What, are you saying it's my fault?"

"No!" I shook my head emphatically. "I blame myself cause I…cause I…" _Because I fell for you…_ But the words wouldn't come out. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't say it. So instead, I cried out in frustration, "Ugh, I can't do it!" I threw my sketchbook down and ran in a random direction. It didn't matter to me in the slightest where I was running to, as long as I could run away from the overwhelming heaviness in my heart.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Taylor!" he shouted after her but she didn't give him a second glance. He stood there briefly, attempting to collect his thoughts as he stared down at the open sketchbook on the ground showing a happy picture of Taylor, Al and himself. Things had gotten out of control fast and Ed wasn't sure how to fix things. All he knew was that he had to get to Taylor.

"Edward, what's going on?" Miss April asked as she stepped outside.

Ed paused and turned to the worried mother. He knew he had to give her an explanation and didn't have time to fabricate a lie. "Taylor and I got in an argument and she ran off. I have to go get her."

"You should probably give her a few minutes to calm down. She'll come back in a little while," she said.

Ed shook his head, "No, I can't let her go off on her own. It's not safe. The Homunculi are still out there and I can't let her wander around by herself alone."

Then he jumped into the chase, darting down the road Taylor had taken moments before. He heard Al at the door asking what was going on but he'd leave Miss April to tell the others. Undoubtedly, they would join in the chase. Taylor's mom was very protective of her and Al was practically Taylor's brother.

Ed raced down the street at a frantic pace, fear urging him to run faster.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I don't know how far I ran but I eventually had to stop and catch my breath. Leaning against the wall of a shop, I shakily wiped at my face as a few tears leaked out. Yeah, I know that running off wasn't going to solve my problems and I would have to go back sometime soon but I just needed some space. I needed to get a hold of myself. And it wouldn't have done me a bit of good to let Ed see me cry, though yelling at him and pitching a fit wasn't so good either. I guess I just couldn't ever win.

"Hey."

My head snapped up at that voice. Ed stood there not even ten feet away.

I looked away quickly, "Ed, I really don't want to talk right now. I just need to be left alone, okay?"

"How about you talk to me instead," he suggested.

"Talking is not gonna fix this. Don't you see, Ed? Nothing can change the fact that I have to leave. If I don't go back to my side of the gate then Truth is gonna win. I have to go home with my mom, but even knowing that I want to stay! The problem is that I have to leave when all I want to do is stay! The problem is, is that I love you!"

As those last words came out I gasped and clamped my hands over my mouth. But it was too late and the damage had been done.

Ed's eyebrows rose as he stared at me for what felt like an eternity.

A call broke the silence, "Taylor!"

I glanced in the direction the shout had come from and couldn't believe my eyes at what I saw. There, running down the road towards us, was…Ed.

I turned back to the Ed I had been talking to, finding him standing there smirking at me. Something wasn't right here.

"Envy?" I asked, taking a step away and putting my back against the wall.

"Wow, you're quick," he sneered while wearing Edward's face. Seeing Ed's face wearing such an expression…it was just wrong.

"What the hell?" Ed exclaimed as he realized who my companion was. He stopped in his tracks and glared at him. "Envy, what are you doing here."

Envy gave him a dark smile, "I was just having a very informative conversation with your little girlfriend here. She told me some interesting things…," and here he sent me a look out of the corner of his eye, "about how she's from the other side of the gate."

Mine and Ed's eyes widened, Ed because of his alarm and me because of how stupid I was. I had just told one of the bad guys a secret that could get me killed. Again, I can never win!

Envy's smile widened as he looked at me, "I think the Master would like to have a chat with you."

I shrunk back against the wall, remembering how my last couple of encounters went with the Homunculi. I couldn't imagine how much worse it would be to confront Dante.

Envy leapt towards me, leaving me no time to react. He threw me over his shoulder and jumped to dodge Ed's incoming attack in one swift move. He landed on the ground away from Ed, and as soon as I wasn't being slung around I clapped my hands and touched Envy's back. He let out a snarl and dropped me as the skin on his back began to regenerate itself. He sent his sharp eyes to me, "You'll regret that, you brat!"

Envy reared back to hit me but another arm halted his attack, Ed's arm. Ed swiftly went to kick him, causing Envy to flip backwards to evade it. While Envy was still flipping Ed transmuted a blade onto his automail arm and swung at him. Seconds before he hit, Envy blocked and used his powers to make a blade on his automail arm too. They began going at it like the professional fighter's they were, moving in a deadly dance. They spun, they hit, they blocked, they dodged, and they cut. All of Envy's wounds healed while Ed was left with a few nicks.

"Taylor!" I heard someone shout.

I looked down the road to see my mom approaching with Al and Izumi. "Mom!" I called back to her.

The three of them hesitated when they saw two Edwards, not knowing which the real one was.

Envy used their initial shock to his advantage. He kicked Ed away from him and lunged towards the trio. All of them were still too surprised to react when he kicked Izumi away and flipped Al onto the ground. Then he proceeded to picking up my mom and jumping onto a nearby rooftop.

"Stop!" Ed shouted just as I screamed, "No!"

Envy looked back down to us, his body transforming before us. Mom, who was situated on his shoulder just as I had been, cried out in surprise. She had seen alchemy before but seeing someone shape shift was a whole different story.

"Since the brat's too much trouble I think I'll just take her mom instead," Envy told us. Then he turned and ran out of sight.

"MOM!" I screamed. I stared with wide eyes at the place Envy and her had been. I shook my head, "No, this can't be happening. Not my mom. What are we gonna do? They've got her now. What are we gonna do?"

"Snap out of it," Izumi ordered, hauling me up by the arm. She looked me straight in the face, "We'll go after him and take her back by force if necessary. But you need to focus first." I took a deep breath and tried my best to calm down. She nodded approvingly, "Alright, now we go." She clapped her hands and Ed followed her lead. Together, they shifted the land underneath the four of us to rise to the top of the building. There, we went in pursuit of Envy.

"Why did he take your mother instead of you?" Al asked as we ran, on the ground once again.

Guilt tightened my stomach, "It's because he knows. I thought he was Ed and I mentioned how I was from the other side of the gate."

"And since he couldn't get you easily he chose the easier captive that could still give him answers." Ed finished for me.

Images flashed through my mind of what the Homunculi would do to make my mom talk. _Oh Mom, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this…_

"Hey," Ed got my attention. "We'll get her back, I promise. There's no way in hell I'm letting that bastard hurt her."

Looking into those determined eyes of his, I couldn't help but give him a small smile in return. Yes, we'd get her back. Even if things were a bit rocky between us we'd always have each others backs. I could do this as long as Ed was by my side.

* * *

><p><strong>Taylor: *sniffles* Mommy?<strong>

**LeFay: There, there Tator. *pats head* Everything's gonna work out okay...probably...maybe...**

**So, things are about to get even more interesting in the next chapter. But you'll have to wait awhile on that one. I'm going to be gone this weekend on a band trip (WHOO!) , and I won't be here to update. So even though you guys deserve another update this weekend I'm going to have to wait until the next weekend to update.**

**Taylor: Oh my God! Look at this!**

**LeFay: What is it?**

**Taylor: It's something magical, wonderful! And it's blue!**

**LeFay: Blue?...a smurf?**

**Taylor: What? No, it's the review button!**

**LeFay: Ooooh.**

**Taylor: *hugs review button* I love it when the fans love on me!**

**LeFay: T_T**


	46. Chapter 46

***drum roll* And now…Strent Studios presents…CHAPTER 46! *cues hallelujah chorus***

**I had problems writing this for some reason and was even afraid I wouldn't get it done on time. Also, I've been working on a new story that Taylor's helping me with. It's called, "Hell's Reject" and should be out soon so keep an eye out for it.**

**For those of you wondering my band trip was a blast! But I must tell you guys what is probably the most hilarious thing I've ever seen. When we got back to the hotel from six flags I went straight to bed in the room I was sharing with Taylor, Amy, and some other chick I've never mentioned to you guys but is our friend. Anyway, I woke up around midnight to voices. I rolled over to find all three of my roommates on the other bed. I asked them what they were doing and Taylor replied, "We're putting on a wedding for a stuffed bear and monkey!" O.o WTF? I sat up to see that they had indeed gotten two stuffed animals and dressed them up in a wedding dress and tux made out of toilet paper. They even made an aisle with pews and Taylor was the preacher. After the ceremony the lovely couple honeymooned in the closet, the result of which was a stuffed fish. So apparently bear + monkey = fish…**

**Also, someone asked when the next contest was gonna be and I'm pleased to say it will be soon. I just wanted to get the first chapter of Hell's Reject out before I started it. I don't have all the details on the upcoming contest but I can tell you it will focus on crossovers. I'll make a list of about twenty other popular animes/books/movies/etc. that you guys can choose from and you'll have to cross one of those with FMA/FMAB and still make it interesting. If you want you can give suggestions in your reviews for what you want one of the crossover options to be. I'll have more details on this later.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 46<strong>

**Mission Impossible 3**

(-Taylor-)

We followed after Envy, using my mother's screams as a locator. It's a good thing my mom was loud… The four of us ran at a furious pace, barreling past buildings, occasional pedestrians, and hopping a couple of fences until we reached the forest that bordered the town. None of us hesitated to enter the darkness the trees created. The setting sun left only the smallest traces of light and not much of that passed the canopy of leaves. I had to keep my eyes open for any stray roots that could trip me.

"Listen," Izumi ordered sternly.

We all did just that but I wasn't sure what we were keeping our ears trained for. Ed asked his teacher, "Do you hear something?"

She shook her head, "The opposite, actually."

It dawned on me. I could no longer hear my mother's screams. I gasped, "Mom!"

Izumi took charge and ordered, "Split up. Al, Taylor, you take the left. Ed, we'll take the right."

We nodded and parted ways. I could see why she was doing this, to cover more ground of course, but I wondered her reasoning in the pairings. I figured that she would pair the weakest (me) with the strongest fighter (Izumi). Then again, Izumi, though a powerful force to be reckoned with, wasn't the most reliable ally. She couldn't be sure when one of her coughing fits would hit her and that was a major disadvantage. That's probably why she paired me with the second best fighter in our group, Al, because he could protect me better.

"Don't worry, Taylor," Al said, bringing me out of my thoughts. "We're gonna find her." The passion in his voice made me stare at him in awe. It must be because him and Ed, above anyone else, would know what life was like without a mother. This was something they would fight with all their might to prevent for someone else.

I smiled at him, "Yeah. And when we do we're gonna kick that palm tree's gender confused ass!"

That's when we heard booms from across the forest: the sounds of people fighting.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

"Get back here!" Ed screamed. They had spotted Envy running past the brush of the forest, a limp figure thrown over his shoulder. Teacher and student raced forward to catch him, only to have nature come to the homunculus's aid. Envy jumped into the trees and used the branches as stepping stones.

"Damn, he's a freaking monkey!" Ed growled. Beside him, Izumi clapped her hands and moved the earth beneath her feet to send her flying in Envy's direction. She landed close to him and, being careful of his captive, threw a punch at him. Envy nimbly dodged it, landing on another tree. That gave Ed enough time to transmute the surrounding trees to form a maze of wooden beams. Envy bared his teeth in a snarl and shifted his arm into a steel blade. He cut the beams in his way as he resumed his escape. This at least slowed him down somewhat for Ed to join the fight above. Both Izumi and him closed in on their opponent.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"They must have found them. Come on!" I called to Al and rushed forward. I rounded a tree and had to slam on my brakes to keep from running into someone. I pitched forward and Al had to catch the back of my jacket to keep me from making a face plant. We looked up to see who I had almost run over.

"You!" Al exclaimed in shock.

My mouth gaped open. What the hell was _she_ doing here?

She looked up to give a small smile. And because we were so distracted by her unexpected appearance, we were unprepared for the other's sneak attack.

"Ah!" I cried out as something knocked me away from Al.

"Taylor!" Al shouted for me and would have ran towards me had the woman not planted herself in his way. She said something to him but it was too low for me to hear it.

I picked myself up off of the ground slowly, a twinge in my side making me cringe. That was gonna leave a bruise. I peered up at the dark silhouette hovering above me and was met with a child wearing a sadistic expression.

"Wanna play?" Wrath asked me with a menacing laugh.

So, a ginger and armored boy against Wrath and Sloth…lovely. I briefly wondered what the two of them were doing here. My only guess were that they were here with Envy to help kidnap me. But since my mother was such easier prey he took her instead. I doubted that these two cared which one of us Envy brought back.

Wrath grabbed a large rock and transmuted it into himself to make a stone fist. He then went to strike me. I rolled out of the way, clapping as I went and made a wall between the two of us. That would give me a moment to get up.

Just as I had stood the wall exploded. The blast threw me into a tree, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to my knees gasping for breath. Wrath stepped over the rubble and continued towards me. I glanced away to find Al running towards me. Sloth must have been playing the mother act on him but me being in danger snapped him out of it. He didn't get far though. Sloth reverted to her liquid form and entered his hollow shell, controlling his movements.

"What's the matter? Aren't you even going to put up a fight?" Wrath mocked me as he stood in front of me.

I answered him by throwing a fistful of dirt at his face. He grunted and stumbled back.

"That's cheating!" he cried.

"That's life!" I spit back, clapping my hands and touching the roots of the tree beside me. It sprang to life, growing in size and knocking into Wrath's small body like an oversized wooden whip. The impact hit him and nearly myself in the process. So that agricultural alchemy stuff did have its uses. I'm glad I read that book but I could use some more practice, especially when the transmutation got out of my control. The tree the root was attached to shuddered with alchemic sparks and collapsed with a resounding thud. Luckily, it had fallen away from me.

I searched for Al to see him in his struggle with Sloth. I had to help him somehow. Maybe evaporate the water inside him? No, I couldn't use alchemy like that anywhere near Al's armor, lest I accidentally mess with his blood seal. That didn't leave me with a lot of options then.

"Al!" I called to him, heading in his direction. "What should I do?"

"Just stay back!" he warned me.

"Yes, stay back. You wouldn't want something to happen to Alphonse," Sloth said from inside of him. It was so eerie to hear Trisha's voice take on such a threatening tone. "Wrath!"

A rustle behind me alerted me of an incoming attack. Damn, I shouldn't have let my guard down. Before I could spin around and face him, Wrath had me pinned to the ground with my hands held down away from each other so I couldn't use alchemy.

Wrath looked up with a hopeful expression towards the other two, "Mommy! I got her!" It was like a child seeking praise from a parent.

"Good. Hold her there," Sloth commanded.

"Having fun?" a new voice asked. I stretched my neck in an awkward position to see who it was. Of course…Envy.

"What took you so long?" Sloth asked him.

Envy shrugged, "The Fullmetal pipsqueak and his friends were a bit angry I stole this one here." He patted my mom's back as she laid over his shoulder unconscious.

"Let her go!" I snarled at him, struggling against Wrath's hold.

Envy smirked, "If that's what you want." He promptly dropped her to the ground.

"You bastard!"

He ignored me and turned to where Sloth still lingered inside a immobile Al, "I delayed the pipsqueak and his teacher but they'll catch up soon."

"Who is that?" Wrath asked. I assumed he was referring to my mom. "You were supposed to catch this one but Mommy and I had to do it ourselves."

He frowned, "This is the brat's mother. She was easier to snatch and can still tell us what we need to know."

"I won't let you take her," I said.

"Afraid of what we'll do to your precious mommy?" Wrath asked in a sneering tone. He abruptly lifted me and threw me, my body skidding across the ground as rocks and twigs dug into my skin.

I squinted, trying to get past the pain and sit up. I saw Wrath walking towards my mom with a gleam in his eyes. Panic shot through my veins.

Wrath brought his leg back and kicked Mom in the stomach, screaming, "Look at your mommy now! She's weak, pathetic! She can't even protect you. What a horrible mommy!"

"Stop!" Al and I screamed.

Wrath kept kicking her and my mom grunted at the blows as he laughed in amusement. I tried to get up but I couldn't do it fast enough. Al fought his hardest against Sloth but to no avail. They had us beat.

Spikes shot out of the ground and skewered both Wrath and Envy. They both choked out blood. Within a second the spikes had disintegrated and two earthen fists barreled into them, sending them flying far off into the forest. The stress must have been getting to me because all I could think was, _Team Rocket's blasting off again…_

As figures stepped out of the bushes, I smiled to myself. The cavalry had arrived.

At Ed and Izumi's appearance, Sloth slithered out of Al's armor and retreated. Ed gasped when he saw her face.

"Hello, Edward," Sloth gave him a motherly smile.

Ed's face paled as if he'd seen a ghost, which was exactly the case, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my boys," she said as if he were acting silly. Then she lifted her arms and called to him, "It's been so long."

My heart tore at the sight of Ed. Stricken with grief, Ed gazed uncertainly at Sloth. Along with the guilt, I could see the longing to just believe and run into her open arms. And I was so proud of him when he clamped his eyes closed and looked away. It must have taken all of his willpower to do so.

"No, you're not her," he shook his head.

"Brother?" Al questioned. He had taken a place beside my crumpled mom with Izumi checking her over for any serious injuries.

"You're face…it's been bothering me for a while now. You look so much like her. I didn't let myself think about it. And I didn't, but I can't stop running away from it." Ed admitted. Then his fists clenched, "You may look like her but you're _not_ her. That day…we created you."

Sloth's eyes turned sorrowful, "But you couldn't create me right."

Pain flashed in Ed's eyes, quick and deep. The guilt slapped in his face once again.

Sloth took this chance to sling her watery arms at him.

"Edward!" Izumi, Al, and I screamed.

He snapped out of it and managed to make his inner circle, touching the water that neared him and freezing it around him. He looked up at Sloth with fire burning in his eyes, "You are our sin." He then threw himself at her with his automail blade. Sloth broke away from the ice and began dodging his attacks and any that hit her she turned to water.

"That's really…Mom?" Al asked.

"That's the result of your human transmutation attempt," I told him solemnly as I approached them, worse for wear but able to walk. I watched Ed battle against the water homunculus, contemplating Ed's reaction. I suppose I wouldn't have to tell him how the Homunculi were created. He had somehow knew all along, even if he hadn't wanted to face the truth.

Al gasped, "So, then it worked?"

Ed sliced Sloth down the middle and jumped back away from her as she dissolved into a puddle. "No, Al. This is nothing more than a homunculus. The shape in which our sins have taken."

"But…" Al said, not fully convinced.

"Mommy!" Wrath screeched as he ran over to Sloth's liquid form.

"That's not your mom, Al," I told him while she reformed sluggishly. "Ed's right, you two have to face what you created that day you tried human transmutation, just as Izumi will have to face hers."

Izumi turned to me, shocked. Then she glanced back at the little boy clinging to Sloth. "You mean…"

"Yes," I answered simply. I knelt beside my mom, brushing the hair away from her face. I worried that she had been beaten too badly but was relieved that she wasn't awake to witness all of this.

And as if this wasn't hard enough on all of us, more hell broke loose.

"Aaaah!" we heard the shout before Envy's body was thrown into the clearing and landed close to Sloth and Wrath. Huh, I was wondering where he had been.

Sloth looked down at Envy, "What now?"

Envy sat up, wiping the single line of blood running from his lip, "He's back."

Sloth's eyes widened marginally as she turned to look in the direction Envy was watching.

From the shadows of the tree emerged the last person I wanted to see right now.

"Fate," I muttered.

Fate said nothing as he eyed everyone in the vicinity, holding his sword in an almost absent minded way. Envy's temper exploded as he jumped up to his feet, "You set us up, didn't you? You were working with the brat all along!"

Fate's face remained stoic as he answered, "I work for fate alone."

Envy glared in response. I exchanged a glance with my friends but they were just as confused as I was. Of course, I knew from what Lust had told me that they had encountered Fate at one point but I didn't know what went down. Envy's accusation that Fate had set them up made me think that they had formed an alliance. Not that I knew him very well but that seemed out of character for Fate. Maybe he had something to do with me getting kidnapped…one of those times by the Homunculi. But what made Envy think that Fate was working with me?

"What are you doing here?" I demanded, finally finding my voice. "Are you…helping me?"

Fate turned to me, "That would be counterproductive."

I frowned, "Then why are you here now? I was about to do what Truth wanted! I was going to make things right!"

"You are wrong."

I blinked in absolute shock. "What…?"

"Returning to your world is not the way to complete the game and would only start it anew."

I couldn't say anything. What he told me…it threw my mind into a whirlpool of bewilderment. It didn't surprise me that Fate somehow knew of my plans to return home. What baffled me was that this past week, everything that I had done and the decisions I had painfully made…it had been for nothing. I had been utterly wrong and now my position on the board had moved back to square one.

"Enough of this!" Envy howled. "Your head is mine!"

Chaos ensued. I could scarcely make out the tornado around me made up of my friends, the Homunculi, and Fate. I caught brief glimpses of Envy engaging a fight between him and Fate that Izumi had somehow gotten mixed up in. Ed had gone after Sloth and Al joined him faithfully. As I latched onto my mother's arm, I lifted my head to see that we were left alone in the little clearing. I began to wonder what I was even doing here. My thoughts were in shambles, my emotions running rampart. I was a total mess from the revelation Fate had brought me.

"Taylor," Mom murmured. She shifted and opened her eyes carefully.

"Mom! Are you okay?" I asked frantically.

She nodded and tried to sit up, hissing when something pulled in her side. I assisted her and leaned her against a tree trunk. "What's going on? Are you alright, baby girl? Where is everyone?"

"I'm fine. The others are fighting against the Homunculi right now." I gazed off into the distance, listening to the sound of foes clashing with each other.

Mom took my hand and gave me a gentle squeeze, "It'll be okay. We're gonna get through this just fine."

"Yeah," I smiled at her, convincing her that I believed the lie.

"Who's that little boy?" Mom asked as her attention focused elsewhere.

I twisted around to look at what she was seeing. I froze when I saw Wrath coming towards us.

"Mommy sent me back here to take care of you two. I've got to make this quick so I can get back to her."

As he stalked forward, Mom moved towards me as if she were going to protect me. She may not know just who Wrath was and his childlike appearance perplexed her, but she sensed danger. Even beaten up as she was now she would try to put herself between me and danger like a true mother. It made me want to smile and made me love her all the more, but this was not her fight and she was the one who needed protecting now.

"You can't kill us, remember? Your master wants us alive," I told him, hoping that would save us.

He grinned viciously at me, "Oh, I know about the Master's plans for you. But we can't have you escaping while we're playing with the others. So I'll just have to make sure you can't run away without killing you."

A cold shiver tingled down my spine, yet I batted it away. "I won't let you hurt my mom."

Wrath giggled at my bravado, "You can't do anything. You can't even help your friends. You're pathetic! Useless! You don't even deserve a mommy!"

I felt something slam into the side of my head before I realized Wrath had kicked me. My vision spun and I distantly heard my mom scream something. I gritted my teeth and pushed up onto my hands and knees. Mom was trying to reach me and was forced back by Wrath hitting her.

"Leave my daughter alone!" Mom ordered in a shaky voice from where she lay on the ground.

"Or what, you're gonna cry?" Wrath laughed. "You can't do anything. You're weak!" Then he kicked her again and Mom made a horrible choking noise. "You're nothing! You can't even run away! You're just tiny bugs waiting to be squashed!"

"_Shut up_."

Wrath stopped his gloating and turned his violet eyes on me, "What did you say?"

"I said shut up, or were you not listening?" I said in a low, threatening voice as I began to stand up. "It's true, I've been pretty useless lately. And whenever things get tough I run away. And I may be weak…" Now on two solid legs, my eyes locked onto Wrath. "But I will _never_ give up!"

I may have hit a dead end in Truth's game but I would still carry on. To many people I loved needed me. I've never thought that highly of myself and usually I couldn't do all that I wanted for everyone I cared about. But I would give it my all! Even if it was a just a little bit, I would do whatever I could to help. I wasn't running away from this. I wouldn't let everyone fight alone. I would fight for them even if it killed me.

And I realized as my stomach was skewered, that it just might kill me.

I had rushed towards where Wrath hovered over my mom, bent on keeping him away from her. But my body was tired and was too slow to dodge Wrath's swift attack. He had used some material to make his hand into a blade and dug it into my gut. My sense of taste was overloaded with a bitter copper tang as my mouth vomited blood.

"_Taylor_!" Mom screamed in horror.

"You're so stupid," Wrath chuckled in amusement as he pulled his hand out of my stomach.

I fell to the ground but gathered enough strength to look up at him darkly, "I'm not the stupid one who fell for such an obvious trap."

Surprise flashed across his face as my bloody hands touched the ground. Vines grew from the earth and wrapped around Wrath's small frame, enclosing him in a thorny embrace. The more he struggled the deeper the thorns sunk into his skin. He began calling out for his mommy.

"Taylor," I heard from beside me. I turned to see my mom crouched beside me, a hand on my shoulder as she stared at me. Her eyes filled with tears of worry.

"I'm sorry, Momma," I apologized.

She blinked at me, "You have nothing to be sorry for."

I shook my head, "But I do. I know how much you wanted us to go home together…But I can't. The game isn't over and if I go with you it never will be."

"What are you trying to say?" she asked me anxiously.

I took a deep breath, "I'm saying that I can't just think about myself. I have to think about what's best for everyone else, starting with you."

"Taylor, what are you-" she tried to say.

I cut her off, "I love you." Then I gripped the tattoos on my left arm with my right hand as I placed my left palm against the grass below me. A red light engulfed the area as an array lit underneath us. Red energy sparked around the three of us in disorienting lines of lightening. Mom looked all around us in confusion while Wrath was panicking and trying to break free. A split in the array beneath us formed and opened to reveal an eye. Little black hands reached out, latching onto both Mom and Wrath.

"No! I won't go back there!" Wrath screeched.

"Taylor!" Mom called to me, stretching her hand out to me.

I shook my head as tears began to flow down my cheeks. No, I couldn't go with her. I had to stay and make things right. So with that thought in my mind I gazed at my mother to etch her image in my mind, because I couldn't be sure that I would ever see her again. I gave myself that moment.

_Goodbye_.

I shut down all of my sense to everything around me and gave the transmutation all of my attention. It almost felt like I had become one with the alchemy being performed. The burning in my skin from my glowing tattoos was distant to my mind as I felt the arms pull the two of them into the depths of the eye and into the realm of the gate.

This was the way it had to be, the only thing I could think of to protect my mom. I sent her back home, offering Wrath as a sacrifice to do so. Now she would be safe.

I coughed out more blood and realized for the first time that the transmutation had been long over. I must have dazed out for a minute. The wound in my stomach was threatening to send me into darkness but I couldn't blackout just yet. I touched a hand to the wound, having to concentrate with all of my being. Sparks burned in my stomach as the hole began to close up, slowly but surely.

I breathed out a sigh of relief, falling onto my back in exhaustion. I hadn't been sure that it would work, using Wrath to send Mom back, but it had been worth a try. And I could feel that it had been a success. When I had been connected to the transmutation I could _feel_ that it had worked. I was happy for that. And though I would miss her deeply, it was better this way.

As I laid on my back, I stared up past the canopy of leaves to see the moon shining it's white light. It looked so pretty.

In my dazed state, I saw a shadow as something blocked my sight of the moon. My eyes adjusted and I saw Fate standing over me. I didn't hear anyone else around me. What did that mean for his fight with Envy and Izumi? Were Envy and Izumi still going at it somewhere?

Fate said nothing, just watched me with something akin to curiosity. He could kill me at any second. I knew this but I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't even move my fingers. I was too tired to even worry about how vulnerable I was. I just kept watching Fate from a tunnel that kept getting longer and longer. I felt myself falling deeper as the night swallowed me in darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter came out different than I expected…but I like it. I actually didn't make Taylor run away, so yay.<strong>

**Taylor: Hey! What's that supposed to mean?**

**LeFay: That you run away…a lot.**

**Taylor: I do not!**

**LeFay: *shows Taylor all the chapters where she's run away***

**Taylor: T_T …you win this round, Strent.**

**LeFay: Whatever you say, Riley.**


	47. Chapter 47

**Hey party peoples! Sorry this is a bit late. I've got a horrible problem with procrastinating so whenever I'm late like this just tell me to get off my lazy bum and get to work.**

**CONTEST! It has already begun! Those interested in competing can find the rules at the bottom of my profile. I hope lots of you participate.**

**One last thing, I'd like all of you to know that Wednesday is the birthday of our favorite ginger, Taylor! If you've got some spare time pm her and tell her happy 18th birthday and let her know she is loved! Her pen name is raelyn briety royal. And if you're curious, me and our buddies Ragan and Amy are throwing a brownie party for Taylor on Wednesday. It was actually Ragan's idea. Who knew he had a heart to go with his sadistic mind?**

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><p><strong>Chapter 47<strong>

**Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire**

(-Izumi-)

Izumi staggered and leaned upon a large tree trunk to regain her breath. It had been a three-way match between herself, the homunculus, and the newcomer. Not long into the match, the man took his sword and drove the hilt into her stomach. She knew from watching the way he moved that he was an experienced fighter but he was also very perceptive, having zeroed in on her weak point and using it to his advantage. Izumi had vomited an obscene amount of blood and was rendered unconscious. When she awoke the two were gone and she cursed her fragile body.

She pushed off of the tree and resumed her steady pace. The others were still out there somewhere and she had to get to them. Her students would fair well enough, but Taylor and her mother were another story. That girl may have a talent for alchemy but had no combat skills to speak of. As for April, Izumi could tell the woman was no fighter. Those two would be cannon fodder if left on their own.

Pulling back the branches of a bush, Izumi caught sight of the clearing where she had left everyone else. At first, she thought no one was there. Then her vigilant eyes were drawn to a bright splash of color: a pool of blood. In the center of the redness lay Taylor.

Izumi rushed over to the girl and kneeled beside her. Her eyes were closed and her skin pale, making Izumi fear the worst. Relief flooded through her when she saw the small movement of her chest rising up and down with shaky breaths. First, Izumi placed her fingers at her wrist to check her pulse. It was weak and faster than it should be. Next, she scanned her body for injuries. The rip in Taylor's shirt screamed to be checked out so she started there. Izumi found the smooth skin of Taylor's stomach underneath. That surprised her. From the amount of blood surrounding her body and the tear in her shirt, Izumi deduced that something impaled her. She vaguely recalled Taylor explaining the aspects of her Philosopher's Stone and how she could heal herself with it. That must have been what had occurred here.

Other than some nasty bruises, Taylor had no injuries. But who had done this to her? And where had April disappeared to? She had been left here as well. Had one of the Homunculi done this or the swordsman? Had they taken April with them? And if so, why didn't they take Taylor with them after she was defeated?

Izumi broke out of her thoughts when she heard yells in the distance. She was torn between going towards them and staying here with Taylor. In her current state the girl was completely vulnerable. But what if something had happened to Ed and Al? And what had become of Taylor's mother?

Regretfully, Izumi reasoned that she was needed elsewhere. She would go towards the sounds of fighting and leave Taylor hidden here. With a quick clap of her hands Izumi had used the nature around them to conceal Taylor's body and the blood pool. Anyone searching for her wouldn't look twice here, so covered was she.

Izumi hurried deeper into the forest, pausing to listen every now and then to keep herself going in the right direction. Soon she was close enough to no longer need to stop as she could hear the sounds of fighting quite clearly. When she approached near the source all sound died, making her worry. She picked up her pace and rushed forward.

She found her students standing side by side watching a peculiar sight. A translucent cloud of water in the outline of a woman floated in the air as it gradually evaporated. This must have been the homunculus of the boys' mother. Izumi stayed on the sidelines as the form faded away. As the last of the traces disappeared, Ed sank down to his knees and punched the ground in frustration. Al remained silently at his side as he continued to stare at the air that had just held the face of their mother.

Izumi wanted to give them time to grieve. After what they had just been through they deserved that much. But now wasn't the time. They had to return to Taylor, find her mother, and figure out where the other Homunculi had run off to.

She walked over to them. Al turned to look at her but said nothing. Ed didn't move until she had placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He glanced at her with pain gleaming in his eyes. He hid them under his bangs and clenched his jaw as he fought against his warring emotions.

"You did what you had to," Izumi said softly. "But there's still work to be done."

Ed gave a shuddering sigh, relaxing his tense muscles as he nodded. They stood and the boys followed Izumi as she walked back to the clearing. She told them that's where she had left Taylor.

"Is she okay?" Ed asked anxiously as Al asked, "Is she hurt?"

Izumi smiled inwardly. Just as Taylor cared for them, they obviously cared a great deal for her as well. "She was unconscious when I found her. Other than a few bumps and bruises she was fine."

"What about Miss April?" Al asked her.

Izumi's hope dimmed as she replied, "I was hoping you two knew where she was." She explained what had happened to her after they had split up, and they told her the same. At first, they had been battling Wrath and Sloth until Wrath had suddenly vanished. Izumi stiffened, wondering what had become of the little one. The three of them concluded that the two remaining Homunculi or the swordsman had something to do with April's absence. This worried them greatly.

They returned to Taylor quickly. Izumi told Al to take her back to the house and care for her there while Ed and herself would stay behind to search for April. They searched well into the night but couldn't find a trace of her.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I awoke briefly to the reassuring clatter of metal. I caught a glimpse of Al's armor. He might have said something, maybe asked if I was alright, but I fell back into a deep slumber. When I woke up again I managed to stay alert, despite how utterly exhausted I felt. The sun had risen while I had been out and I could see the room clearly. An elusive memory stayed on the edges of my mind, an image of seeing Al sitting at my bedside in this dark room but I couldn't be sure if that was a dream or real. The only thing I could be certain of was that I was back at the Curtis's house and in the room that my mom and I had shared for the past week.

"Mom…" I whispered. That look in her eyes, the sheer confusion, it hurt to remember. No matter how much I told myself that I did the right thing I couldn't get rid of the guilt and the loneliness that her absence left behind.

I shook my head. Wallowing like that would get me nowhere. I should be worrying about the others. I didn't even know if they were alive!

Sitting up and ignoring the immediate nausea in my stomach, I pushed off of the bed…only to have my knees buckle and collapse ungracefully to the floor.

"Ow," I muttered, which was an understatement. Thank God no one was in here to see my embarrassing fall.

"Taylor?" I heard Al ask as he poked his head through the cracked door.

I spoke too soon…

He hurried over to me and helped me stand, letting me lean heavily on him. I kept asking where everyone else was but he said nothing, which made me even more nauseous. Did something happen?

Al walked me into the kitchen and sat me down at the table. Once there, he explained, "Teacher's with Sig in the shop and Ed's still asleep. They wanted me to let them know when you woke up so I'll go tell them now." He left me there and went towards the shop. Not even a minute had passed when he returned with Izumi.

"How are you feeling?" she asked me, holding a hand to my forehead. She frowned, "You seem to be running a bit of a fever."

No wonder I felt so bad. "Mostly I'm just tired."

Izumi saw that I was playing it down, "I'll make you some tea and add some herbs to get rid of that fever. Al, go wake your brother up."

"Yes ma'am," Al responded and went to do just that.

"So what happened after I passed out?" I asked.

"We'll discuss that when the others are with us," she answered and said no more.

To pass the time I watched her prepare the tea. She boiled the water and poured the steaming liquid into a mug and sprinkled some sort of spices in it, the herbs I suppose. She sat it in front of me along with a plate of crackers. I thanked her and took a wary sip of the drink. It had a strong flavor, almost like cinnamon. It was far too strong for my tastes but I drank it anyway while nibbling on a cracker.

"Hey."

I looked up to find Ed enter the kitchen with Al on his heels. Ed's hair was held in a messy braid, bags were under his eyes, I could see some cuts and bruises on him, and he hadn't changed out of the clothes he had fought in. Come to think of it neither had I. I wrinkled my nose at my dirty clothes. Overall, we looked awful.

"You look like crap," I told him.

"No more than you," he retorted, his eyes shimmering with humor.

Him and Al sat down at the table with us and I looked to Izumi expectantly. She relayed her fight with Fate and Envy and how she had found me and then went to look for Ed and Al. She had found them just as they had defeated Sloth and then they came back for me. Al was sent back here with me and Izumi and Ed stayed behind to look for my mom and the remaining Homunculi.

So now with Sloth gone that left Envy, Pride, and Gluttony. Envy must have either run back to Dante or had pursued Fate and only Truth knew where Fate ran off to. I still wondered why he had looked at me like that before I had passed out and why he hadn't finished me off then and there.

"What went down on your end?" Ed asked me. "Do you know what happened to Miss April?"

"Oh…" I murmured and suddenly found my tea very interesting. "…Yes."

"Do the Homunculi have her or did Fate take her?" Al asked.

"Neither," I answered, surprising all of them. I sighed, setting my mug down. I'd have to tell them sometime. I wasn't even sure why I was trying to put it off. "After everyone went off in their own directions, Mom woke up and shortly after Wrath showed up. I…fought him the best I could but my efforts were rather pathetic. But I did manage to save Mom at least."

"Then where is she?" Izumi asked, her dark eyes on me making me fidget.

"I activated my tattoos and opened the gate. I sent her back to the other side."

Ed and Al gasped and Izumi looked the most shocked I'd ever seen. Ed called me stupid for doing something so reckless and Al worried over whether my mom was really alright and Izumi cut straight to the heart of the matter.

"What did you use in exchange?"

I couldn't meet her gaze as I answered in a timid voice, "…I used Wrath."

Everything stilled. The air smothered us with how tense the room had become. No one said anything for several seconds. I breathed steadily, in and out, as I stared down at the hands in my lap. The next thing I knew the table had hit the wall, the plate of crackers and mug crashed to the tile floor, and a pair of strong hands were holding me against the wall.

"Teacher!" I heard Al and Ed exclaim. Izumi paid them no mind, her rage focused solely on me.

"That was not your fight," she seethed at me. "He was not your sin to deal with!"

"That's true, but when he was beating up my mother I wasn't really thinking about that," I told her, returning her cold glare with a fiery one of my own. Honestly, the last thing on my mind was that Wrath was for Izumi to take care of, not me. I did what I needed to do and I refused to regret my decision.

"Well, you should have! The responsibility of that child's existence fell on me! Not you!"

"You wouldn't have been able to kill him anyway!" I shouted, my voice rising with my anger.

Her grip tightened on my shirt, "How dare you say that I'm not strong enough-"

I interrupted her, "Not your body, your heart." She froze, her eyes narrowing in puzzlement. "Your heart wouldn't have been able to go through with it. Wrath was a homunculus, but even knowing that you would have hesitated because you knew it was the homunculus of your _son_. You would have hesitated and Wrath would've been the one to kill you."

Her arms shook with the force of her anger. I could see that on some level she knew that what I said had merit. But she didn't want to accept it and instead vented her boiling emotions out on me. She grabbed my arm and flipped me over her. I landed on my back and couldn't breath for a moment. Then suddenly, Izumi wasn't holding my arm and Ed was helping me stand up. My legs were even shakier than before and if it hadn't been for his solid arm around my waist I would have collapsed.

"Release me!" Izumi roared.

"I can't. You're too angry to be rational. Please calm down Teacher," Al said as he held Izumi in a firm hold.

Thankfully, Sig arrived and immediately began soothing his wife and Ed said something about giving me and Izumi some space to cool off. He took me down the hall and to my bedroom. He situated me on the bed and I laid down, throwing an arm over my eyes and wanting to forget about the past few days. Ed sat on the bed and a comfortable silence settled over us. I considered how crappy I felt and wondered if I could handle taking a shower. It'd do my body a world of good. Funny how that was what I was thinking about. I wondered what was on Ed's mind.

"Are you sure it was successful?"

I knew he was referring to when I sent my mom through the gate. "Yes. When I opened the gate and sent her to the other side I could almost…_feel_ it. I just knew that it had worked."

He lapsed into quite once more and I began to wonder if he was mad at me or something. Probably because I had done something so dangerous.

I peeked out from under my arm to see him staring off into space. "Ed? What're you thinking about?"

He heaved a deep sigh, "I was thinking about how I understand Teacher's anger."

Startled, I asked, "You agree with her?'

He sighed again and ran a hand through his hair, "No, I'm saying I sympathize with her. From a rational standpoint I can process this logically and I can see that using Wrath was your best option. But if I were in her shoes I'd probably be just as furious."

"I suppose…" I nodded. "But wouldn't it be easier if you weren't the one who had to do it? If someone else…"

"Perhaps. But you know me," he gave me a smile.

I smiled back, "You're not one for the easy stuff. Always got to make things more complicated."

He laughed, "You're one to talk."

I rolled my eyes and kicked him playfully. I looked out the window for a while, just watching the wind blow the leaves of the tree outside. How would I resolve this? I didn't think Izumi hated me really. This had to be a huge shock and she did have a temper unmatched by any other. She needed time for this to sink in, to process it. Even so, she may never forgive me.

"Is this the way things were supposed to play out?"

I glanced back to Ed. He watched me with those golden orbs of his, alight with curiosity. "What I said before is true. Izumi wouldn't have been able to kill Wrath. In the anime she tried but couldn't go through with it and if it hadn't been for you and Al, Wrath would have killed her."

"So…we killed Wrath instead?" he asked, a little pale at the thought.

I shook my head, "No. You could say that Wrath died much in the same way of what I did to him. Although, that wasn't gonna happen until later on. Crap, I might have screwed with the timeline again. Ugh…" Ed didn't comment so I nudged him as a way of asking what was wrong.

"What about Sloth?"

It took me a moment to comprehend what he was asking. When I understood I told him, "From what you told me she died the same way. At least that didn't change."

"Yeah…" he trailed off. His expression showed me just a little slice of the anguish he felt inside. How difficult it must have been, even knowing that it wasn't her she still wore the face of his mother and he had to kill her.

I rose to a sitting position and rested my head on his shoulder, saying without words that I was here with him. Sometimes, just being there with someone is the best thing to comfort them. Words didn't always have the ability to heal but showing someone that they weren't alone never ceased to fail.

"She would have liked you," Ed surprised me by saying.

"You mean, your mom?" I asked to be sure.

He hummed an affirmative answer.

I put on a cheeky grin and turned to look at him, "So you think she would have approved of me for you?"

"Well, uh…" the cutest blush flared in his cheeks as he stumbled for words. He scratched his cheek and muttered something along the lines of 'yeah'.

I smiled and rested my head back on his shoulder. Now that things had slowed down and I knew I'd be staying in Amestris for awhile I began to think of…the possibilities. This was the first time I could seriously consider it so of course my mind strayed to me and Ed being an actual couple. Oh wait, I think my inner fan girl just squealed.

"That night when we, uh, you know," Ed began uncertainly.

I made an effort not to laugh, "It's called a kiss, Ed."

He growled, "_Anyway_…I didn't kiss you just because I wanted you to stay. I mean, I did want you to stay but that wasn't the reason why. That isn't to say that didn't factor into it at all, I just-"

"Ed, I think you're digging the hole deeper."

"Right. I just needed to tell you that and…that…uh…damn it, I'm not good at this kind of stuff!"

I laughed. "I know, considering that was your first-oh my God!" I broke off in the middle of my sentence as realization hit me in the face.

"What?"

A big, cheshire cat grin lit up my face, "That was your first kiss! Wasn't it?"

Ed's cheeks flamed with embarrassment, "It's not like you have to rub it in my face."

"I'm not," I said with the utmost serious expression I could muster. But soon a smile tugged at my lips, the air bubbled up my throat, and small giggles were escaping. I don't know why I found this so funny. I just did. Plus, Ed's faces were priceless.

He poked my face, "Liar."

I bit his finger but, yet again, I forgot about his stupid automail. I flinched back and rubbed my jaw while having to listen to Ed be the one laughing. I scowled at him, "You're horrible."

He wiped a tear out of his eye, "And why do you say that?"

"Cause you laugh at my pain," I pouted.

Regaining his confidence, Ed leaned forward and smirked, "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"

Now it was my turn to blush. That conniving little…little…he's such a….a… "You're such an ass," I said after I finally thought of an appropriate comeback.

"That didn't sound like a refusal to me," he chuckled, his smirk widening.

"Don't make me hit you," I groaned. I flopped back down on the bed, rolling over on my stomach and burying my face into the pillow.

Someone knocked on the door and Ed called for them to come in. I lifted my head so I could see them.

"Hey," Al greeted us. "Teacher's calmed down some so I don't think she'll try to murder you again Taylor."

"Gee, thanks," I replied.

"But I don't think it's a good idea to stay here any longer."

"It'll be better on all of us if we head out," Ed agreed.

I propped myself up on my elbow to face both of them, "But what are we gonna do now? I'm back to figuring out the mystery of Truth's stupid game and you guys still have you're bodies to be restored."

"I guess we need to inform the Colonel first about what's happened."

Ed groaned at his brother's comment, "I don't wanna go see that Bastard."

"It's a start though. And Central sounds a lot more inviting than here," I said.

Ever the worrier, Al began, "Taylor, Teacher's not-"

I held up my hand to stop him, "I know she was just mostly angry back there but she's not gonna forgive me so easily. Nor will I apologize to her because she wouldn't accept it and I wouldn't mean it. I don't regret what I did. Mom's safe now and I'm happy for that. So it's best to just give her time and space."

Al nodded and said he'd go check when the next train to Central was leaving. Ed went to go call Mustang to let him know we were coming. And my contribution consisted of me going to take a shower. I was probably doing everyone's noses a favor.

It took awhile because my body had little energy and I still felt like crap. On the bright side I think my fever was going away. Plus, once I finished up in the bathroom my skin felt squeaky clean…Hm, I wonder who came up with that phrase and why? That's what I was pondering when I came back to my room.

Ed and Al were there waiting for me.

"What did Senor 'Stang say?" I asked, continuing to dry my hair with a towel as I flopped onto the bed.

"I couldn't get through to anyone there. They said everyone was busy," Ed shrugged.

"Huh, I guess you lucked out then," I commented.

Al told me that the train left late this afternoon. That meant we'd have to stick around here for a handful of hours. As long as I stayed away from Izumi I'd be alright. I didn't think she would tolerate even being in the same room with me.

We didn't do a whole lot that day. At one point I told Ed to go get a shower because he stunk. He had a colorful reply and stormed off to the bathroom. For the rest of the afternoon we hung out in my room, reluctant to face the wrath of the dragon lady. I napped for about an hour or two only to wake up to the guys having an intense argument over the proper way to build a card castle. I watched them until I got annoyed and pushed down their half done castle of cards. Al was happy enough that I had ended the argument but Ed was none too pleased.

Then the time came that we began to pack up our stuff. We had nearly an hour to get to the train station and then after that we would be well on our way to Central.

Just as I had zipped my bag I heard a ruckus from outside my room. Curious, I stepped over to the door and cracked it open. Ed and Al were already one step ahead of me, heading to the living room to see what was going on.

"What is the meaning of this?" I heard Izumi's voice demand. "You can't just barge into my home like this!"

As I crept down the hall I heard an unfamiliar voice answer her, "We were told on good authority that the suspected criminal is staying here."

"As you can see the only ones here are my husband and I and my students. There are no criminals here."

From the sounds of it the guy was military and I swear I could hear others with him. But what were they doing here of all places?

I was about to step out into the living room when I heard something that made my blood run cold.

"We know that Taylor Riley is here," another one said.

"Are you saying that Taylor is the criminal you're looking for? You can't be serious," Ed replied. "I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I've been in charge of guarding her. If you don't believe me you can check with my superior, Colonel Mustang."

"He's already well aware of the situation," the first man assured him. "And by order of Fuhrer King Bradley himself we are to detain the girl."

"On what charges?"

"For the murder of 1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye."

* * *

><p><strong>GASP! No, I didn't even see this one coming. This plot twist literally hit me about three hours ago and I had to change some of the chapter and now everything is going to fall into place for the rest of the story. I love it when I get a stroke of genius.<strong>

**So tell me what you think. And don't forget about the contest!**


	48. Quiz

**Hellos! Sorry, this isn't really an update but it's not just an author's note either. I'm still updating this weekend but I thought I'd give you guys something for waiting so patiently. Me and my buddy Rokuchuchu (you know, the epic guy who works as my editor) were PM-ing each other and he sent me a quiz he did. It was so funny I had to do my own. I randomly selected 9 FMA characters along with Roku, Taylor, and myself. For each of the questions I made it easier to read by replacing the number with the character that represented that number.**

**Also, if you want something more to read, me and Roku co-wrote a story together called "You Take Away my FMA". It's about what me and Roku would do if FMA was made illegal. It's posted on his profile. I'd love it if you guys check it out along with his other stories.**

**One last thing, the contest has been moved to July 7th. Please, if you love me, you will participate!**

* * *

><p>1. Garfiel<p>

2. Black Hayate

3. Kimblee

4. LeFay

5. Truth

6. Roku

7. Fuery

8. Hughes

9. Dante

10. Selim

11. Breda

12. Taylor

* * *

><p>1) LeFay invites Kimblee and Hughes to dinner at her own house. What happens?<p>

Hughes: And in this one she's wearing this adorable sunflower dress! And look at this one! My darling Elysia and her mommy! It's so cute!

*BOOM*

LeFay: Thank you!

Kimblee: You're welcome.

* * *

><p>2) You need to stay at a friend's house for a night. Whose house, Garfiel or Roku?<p>

Roku: How could you choose to stay with Garfiel instead of me?

LeFay: I love a man who's in touch with his feminine side.

* * *

><p>3) Black Hayate and Fuery are making out when Selim walks in. Selim's reaction?<p>

Selim: I knew humans were desperate creatures but this is simply madness.

* * *

><p>4) Kimblee falls in love with Roku. Hughes is jealous. What happens?<p>

Kimblee: I've decided you're too cool to blow up.

Roku: Um…thanks?

Kimblee: But that's as far as my capacity to love goes.

Hughes: *stumbles in covered in bandages* Hey! Why did you spare him and not me?

*BOOM*

Roku: -_-'

* * *

><p>5) LeFay jumps you in a dark alleyway. Who rescues you, Black Hayate, Selim, or Fuery?<p>

LeFay: Oh no! Somebody help! It's my evil clone!

LeFay: Grrr! Arrrrg!

Selim: *slices clone in half with shadows*

LeFay: You? Why did you save me?

Selim: Because you're our newest candidate for sacrifice. Plus, the other two were to busy making out.

Fuery: I told you he was simply licking mustard off of my chin! I'm not THAT desperate!

* * *

><p>6) Garfiel decides to start a cooking show. Fifteen minutes later, what happens?<p>

The show was cancelled.

Garfiel: But why?

Maybe because you freaked the viewers out with your…eccentric-ness

*Meanwhile, at the Homunculi lair*

Envy: Damn it! Why did they cancel my show!

* * *

><p>7) Kimblee has to marry either Hughes, LeFay, or Dante. Who does he choose?<p>

Hughes: How about-

*BOOM*

Kimblee: Definitely not you.

Dante: Well then, that leaves two to choose from.

Kimblee: Hm, do I choose the author or do I choose the rotting lady…

*BOOM*

LeFay: Wow, I'm…flattered?

Kimblee: Whatever. I've got to go right now. Explode you later.

LeFay: O_O

* * *

><p>8) Fuery kidnaps Black Hayate and demands something from Truth for Black Hayate's release. What is it?<p>

Fuery: You're powerful and whatnot. Get rid of those horrible rumors about me being an inappropriate dog lover!

Truth: I will… For a price.

Fuery: *hands over Black Hayate*

Truth: Hm, I've always wanted a companion. It gets rather lonely here in the gate.

* * *

><p>9) Everyone gangs up on Kimblee. Does Kimblee stand a chance?<p>

*BOOM*

LeFay: There goes Taylor and Garfiel

*BOOM*

Roku: There goes Breda and Fuery

*BOOM*

LeFay: And there goes Hughes…again.

Roku: All the good guys are gone. What do we do now?

LeFay: …RUUUUN!

*BOOM*

*BOOM*

Kimblee: MWAHAHAHA!

Selim: *eats Kimblee* Tasty.

* * *

><p>10) Everyone is invited to Black Hayate and Taylor's wedding except for Hughes. How does Hughes react?<p>

Taylor: *walks out in wedding dress* Tell me why I'm doing this again?

LeFay: Because you couldn't go a week without brownie and lost the bet.

Roku: A deal's a deal. Now you must legally marry this cute little canine. *holds up Black Hayate and sneezes due to allergies*

Black Hayate: Bless you.

Roku: Thank yo- Wait! WTF? O.o

Black Hayate: Woof?

LeFay: *turns from fiddling with Taylor's dress* What was that, Roku?

Roku: Um…Nothing, I guess.

Taylor: Okay. Anyways, I'll go through with this but Hughes, you can't come.

Hughes: But why not?

Taylor: Cause I don't want pictures of this getting posted on Facebook!

* * *

><p>11) Why is Roku afraid of Fuery?<p>

Roku: Seriously? Did you hear what he did to that poor defenseless dog?

Fuery: Those rumors aren supposed to have been taken care of! And he was just licking the mustard off of my chin!

Roku: Suuuure. That's what they all say.

* * *

><p>12) Dante arrives too late for Black Hayate and Taylor's wedding. What happens and why were they late?<p>

Dante: Sorry I'm late. I couldn't decide on what body to wear today.

Taylor: Dante? What are YOU doing here?

Dante: I came to ask you to join me and let me use your Philosopher's Stone.

Taylor: Never!

Dante: I have brownies~

Taylor: Okay!

* * *

><p>13) Truth and Dante get drunk and end up at your house. What happens?<p>

LeFay: *walks into house and turns on the light* Dude, what the hell?

Truth: *holds up bottle of tequila while dancing around in a tutu* I should come to the human world more often! This stuff is great!

Dante: *passed out on the living room floor*

* * *

><p>14) Dante murders Garfiel's best friend. What does Garfiel do to get back?<p>

Garfiel: *cries* How could you kill the best friend I've ever had?

Dante: …I wasn't aware that you and Kimblee were friends.

* * *

><p>15) Roku and Garfiel are in mortal danger. Does Roku save Garfiel or himself?<p>

Roku: *pushes Garfiel in front of rabid chimera* Now LeFay will never choose you over me again!

* * *

><p>16) Hughes and Kimblee go camping. But they forget food. What do they do?<p>

Hughes: Um…you're not gonna like this.

Kimblee: I never like anything you say.

Hughes: …I forgot to bring the food.

Kimblee …I'm not averse to cannibalism.

*BOOM*

* * *

><p>17) Truth is in a car accident and is critically injured. What does Breda do?<p>

Breda: *stands there and gapes* How did that even happen?

Truth: *slurs* It's the tequila. Made me crash and weakens my invincibility.

* * *

><p>18) The quiz is over. By the way, how did Black Hayate and Taylor end up?<p>

Hawkeye: *points gun at Taylor* You will divorce yourself and my dog.

Taylor: Eeeek! Yes ma'am!

* * *

><p><strong>So, did you like it?<strong>

**Remember, go check out that story me and Roku wrote. You can conveniently find it on my favorites list.**


	49. Chapter 48

**Again, sorry for the wait. I really do have a horrible procrastination problem. Plus, this chapter, don't know what it was about it but I kept struggling to get through it. But I like the way it came out. Thanks to everyone for being so patient. You're the best readers ever!**

**So, I've got some news. Remember in one of the early chapters where Taylor gets her flute and she plays a song? Well, I finally posted a you tube video of it! It's called, "TBA: Taylor's Song". And another reminder the contest ends July 7th and the rules are still at the bottom of my profile. Also, I forgot to thank Ittam the Great for writing "Taylor's Birthday" which you can find easily on my favorites list if you wanna check it out.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 48<strong>

**Renewed Hope**

(-Taylor-)

Time stood still. My breaths ceased as the shock swept over my senses and locked me in place. _Hawkeye? She's…dead? That can't be! This is wrong. This is so, so wrong! Hawkeye can't die. She's Hawkeye! And they're blaming it on me? This doesn't make sense. It's a lie. It's got to be. She can't be dead! She can't be…_

I kept repeating that last part over and over, willing it to be true. Because if she really had died, even if it hadn't been directly by my hand, it would still be my fault. Hawkeye was never meant to die and only something I had done to change the timeline would cause it to be so. And that was something I couldn't bear.

I heard Ed and Al arguing with the men, denying it as well. Hawkeye couldn't be dead. She was too strong. How was that even possible?

"The Lieutenant died this morning," said one of the men. "Many civilians witnessed it as well as the Fuhrer himself. She was talking to King Bradley outside of Central Headquarters when someone approached them and took the shot without hesitation. Lieutenant Hawkeye reacted accordingly, taking the bullet that had been intended for King Bradley. She died protecting the leader of our country so bringing her murderer to justice is the least we can do. And from all the eyewitness accounts we've gathered the murderer matched Taylor Riley's description exactly."

"But that's impossible! Taylor's been here all week!" Al protested. "It couldn't have been her."

"Are you saying the Fuhrer would lie?" the man challenged.

"Well, I…" Al trailed off, confused on what to say.

"Enough of this. Tell us where the girl is."

People said they saw me, but that couldn't have been true. The only logical explanation was that it was Envy using my form. He must have hurried back to Central after yesterday and…killed Hawkeye. I stumbled over that thought but kept going. And obviously Bradley was in on it. They must have planned this, to pin the blame on me and get me back to Central and right into their clutches. I couldn't let that happen.

While the others were still arguing in the living room, I snuck out the back door. No sooner had I stepped outside someone grabbed me from behind.

"Lieutenant Colonel! The girl's trying to escape!" the person behind me yelled.

"Let me go!" I cried, flinging myself around hoping to break his hold all to no avail.

I heard rushed footsteps and saw that Ed reached the back door first. He saw my predicament and growled at the soldier holding me, "Get away from her!"

He would have lunged at the man but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. Ed looked over his shoulder at the person standing behind him. I stopped struggling when I recognized their face.

Archer shook his head at Ed, "We are to accompany the girl to Central where she will face punishment for her crimes."

"You think I'll just let you take her?" Ed spat at him as he shrugged his hand off. "I already told you, she's innocent!"

"Then why did she try to run? That screams 'guilty' to me," Archer commented.

"Cause you're trying to accuse me of something I didn't do!" I screamed. I knew that it was no use to try to convince them of my innocence but that wouldn't stop me.

"Don't try denying it. The Fuhrer himself saw you."

"Did you ever consider the Fuhrer is evil?" I asked sarcastically.

Archer paid no mind to me and gestured for the other soldiers to help the one holding me. I began struggling even more and when the other two men approached me I used the man's hold as leverage and raised both of my feet to kick the closest one. I didn't really hurt him but I succeeded in pissing him off. He visibly forced himself not to retaliate and ordered, "Settle down!"

_As if_, I thought fiercely. I wasn't going down without I fight. I was at a serious disadvantage though because I couldn't use my alchemy, not with the guy holding me like this.

During my struggle I locked eyes with Ed. He stood there with Al, Izumi, and Sig, all of them confused about what to do. Ed knew I was innocent but any action against these men would be seen as treason. Not only would he lose his State Alchemist certification he would be thrown in jail as well. He'd no longer have a way of finding a way to get his and Al's bodies back and Al would probably be found out by the military and shipped off to a lab to be researched on. But I could see he was fighting to find some way around that because he couldn't just let me be hauled away.

Ed was snapped out of his trance when Izumi stepped in. She grabbed the soldier who was holding my leg to prevent me from kicking them. Then she threw him into the other soldier in front of me. Following that she moved gracefully into a kick. Her foot launched above my head, hitting the soldier holding me in the face.

"What do you think you're doing?" Archer shouted at her.

Izumi stood in front of me. Her face darkened as she answered him, "I'm not going to just stand by and watch you take an innocent girl."

"Izumi," I whispered in awe. It didn't matter, her anger towards me or the fact that she may never be able to forgive me. She would stand up for what she believed in and fight for those who needed her, especially if it was against the military.

Archer scowled, "Then if you're protecting her then you are an enemy to the State as well." He pulled out a handgun and prepared to fire. But he never got the chance to shoot.

"Aaah!" Archer cried out in surprise as he was lifted up into the air. Sig had grabbed him by the back of his collar and with the other soldiers coming after him he threw Archer into the group of men.

"Edward! Alphonse!"

"Ma'am!" they both stood at attention and faced their teacher.

Keeping her gaze on the pile of soldiers, she ordered, "Get Taylor out of here. We'll take care of these fools."

"But Teacher," Ed hesitated.

"If you're going to call me that then do as I say!" she shouted at him.

He sent a last glance to Archer and his men as they righted themselves. Ed must have been worried about leaving Izumi and Sig to fend for themselves. This wasn't their battle after all. But his teacher had commanded him to do so and he decided that this was our only option.

He exchanged a look with Al and they nodded. They jogged over to me and Ed grabbed my hand. "Come on," he tugged me forward with them.

"Fullmetal!" Archer called. "Aiding a wanted criminal is a federal offense. If you help her your rank in the military won't save you. You'll be hunted down as well."

Ed paused but he didn't turn around. By the way his grip on my hand trembled I knew how hard this hit him. And yet, he didn't show an ounce of regret when he retorted, "Then so be it."

He pulled me forward and we ran away from the house. As we ran, I glanced over my shoulder for one last time to see Izumi and Sig standing tall against Archer and ten other soldiers. They would fight for my sake and I knew that nothing I could do would ever be enough to repay them.

* * *

><p>(-Mustang-)<p>

"I could really use you right now, old friend," he murmured softly, addressing the unconscious man laying in the hospital bed. Mustang watched him in patient silence as if waiting for an answer.

He recalled that night shortly after the Ishvalan war when Hughes had snapped him out of his senses. Mustang had swore to him that he would make it to the top and end these pointless wars, and with Hughes's help he could see the possibility. As time went on and he grew the faith of his team he saw that possibility as his future and the future of this country. He _would _become Fuhrer and nothing would stop him.

However, whenever he envisioned himself as the leader of Amestris he had always seen his closest comrades beside him: Hughes and…Hawkeye.

"_Gunfire from the front gates!"_

"_Hurry! King Bradley's there!"_

"_She's getting away! Someone get her!"_

"_Man down! Send a medical team with a stretcher!"_

"_God, there's so much blood."_

"_Multiple bullets to her chest. May have severed an artery."_

"_What happened? Damn it, let me through!"_

"_Hurry!"_

"_Her lung's collapsed, get an ET tube and an IV."_

"_Blood pressure's dropping. She's going into shock."_

"_Second bullet hit the pulmonary valve. The bleeding won't stop."_

"_She's gonna be okay, right Boss?"_

"_Don't you die on me, Hawkeye."_

"_Sir…" she whispered as her eyelids fluttered open for a brief moment. Her amber irises peered into his dark ones and she did the most ludicrous thing…She smiled…_

_Seconds later she began seizing, coughing up the blood that filled her lungs. And when her heart stopped, it didn't matter how many times they attempted to revive her…she never woke up._

Mustang fisted his hands at the onslaught of memories. That smile was what haunted him the most. Her face relaxed and unguarded, a rare expression for her. It conveyed to him fully that she believed in him, even to the death. It was that smile that brought that distant longing in him. The one he had felt that night he made the pact with Hughes. The ultimate taboo. He knew the outcomes of it. Hell, Edward and Alphonse were living proof of that. Impossible, and yet, here he sat searching the recesses of his mind for that theory he had formed long ago on human transmutation.

He chuckled to himself. If she were here she would be pointing her gun at him right now, telling him to stop thinking of such nonsense and worry about more important matters. And Hughes would probably punch him again. If he were awake, that is.

Dusk had settled upon Central. It had been a draining day, to say the least. All Mustang wanted to do was go home and have a drink…or maybe five. He would drink until the stubborn ache in his chest subsided.

As he left Hughes's room, an unexpected visitor approached him.

"Ms. Douglas," Mustang greeted the Fuhrer's secretary with mild surprise. "What brings you here?"

With the same blank expression she always wore, she answered, "King Bradley requested your presence."

He considered ignoring her and just going home. The bottle of scotch in his kitchen cabinet called strongly to him. Still, he could guess what this was about and could not decline.

Mustang walked with the woman out of the hospital and followed her in his own car to Central Headquarters. On the drive there, his thoughts strayed once again to Hawkeye. They promoted her to Lieutenant Colonel for giving her life for the Fuhrer. She had been with Bradley when the attacker had fired at him. Hawkeye being Hawkeye, she had jumped in front of Bradley. They were standing _right in front of _Central HQ and the attacker had fired in broad daylight and still managed to get away. And then there were the eyewitness accounts, all of them describing the same girl. A girl who should have been miles and miles away in Dublith. Something about all of this…it bothered him. He wanted to find Fullmetal and get some answers for himself but he had stayed with Hawkeye to the very end. The Fuhrer deployed Lieutenant Colonel Archer and his men instead shortly after the incident. If Bradley wanted to talk to Mustang then it must be about whatever Archer found.

"Good evening, Colonel," Bradley greeted him as he entered his office. The Fuhrer gave his secretary a nod and she left the room without a word, closing the door behind her.

Bypassing formalities, Mustang asked anxiously, "Is this about Archer?"

The older man chuckled, "You catch on quick. Please, have a seat." He sat down at his own desk. Mustang hesitated, unwilling, but complied. His body remained stiff, his fingers clutching at his knees tight enough to make his knuckles white.

"Lieutenant Colonel Archer and his men located Taylor Riley in Dublith with the Elric brothers at their teacher's home. Upon trying to detain her, Fullmetal and his brother took her and escaped using one of the military cars. Archer would have pursued her had the Curtis's not delayed them. They're being transported to Central to undergo questioning."

Mustang let all of the information sink in. He wondered if Bradley held any curiosity for this whole situation. For instance, why would Taylor attempt to murder the Fuhrer in the first place? Had that entire explanation she had given him about her origins been fabricated? If not then why would she do this? And if so, did that mean Mustang had been wrong about the girl and she was trying to overthrow the government? Then there was her being in Dublith. Mustang sent the brothers with Taylor and her mother to Dublith a week ago. Why would Taylor arrive here and go straight back to the first place they'd look? It was possible that she could have but why would she? And what was Fullmetal and Alphonse's part in all of this? And Taylor's mother? Bradley hadn't mentioned her at all. Perhaps he didn't even know of the woman's existence. Mustang hadn't mentioned her or anything about Taylor past the walls of his office. He wanted to ask Bradley about her but kept the thoughts to himself. He didn't want word to get out of where the girl came from.

That thought confused him somewhat. Taylor had shot down Hawkeye. He should be infuriated with her but couldn't feel anything apart from puzzlement and the lingering shock that Hawkeye's absence left behind. Mustang had achieve his rank with his sharp mind and now it was telling him that there was something more here than met the eye. Taylor's actions contradicted her personality and everything that he knew about her. So he played with the idea that the Homunculi were behind this. He had engaged in battle with them not too long ago and had seen for himself the powers of the shape shifting one. It must have been him. But why would they want to set Taylor up for this? He could only guess that it would get her to Central. But then, she would be highly guarded within the military headquarters. That didn't make sense, unless…their enemies were closer than he would have believed possible.

"Mustang," Bradley called him out of his reverie.

He focused back on the man in front of him, listening intently to what he said next.

"Fullmetal has gone too far this time. I want you and your team to find where he's hiding the girl and bring her back here alive at all costs. Use any means necessary, even if it means going through Fullmetal and his brother."

Mustang's breath caught in his throat. Did he…did Bradley really mean for him to kill Edward and Alphonse? Even Mustang thought this was going too far.

"Do you have any objections?"

"None," Mustang replied confidently.

Bradley nodded firmly, "Dismissed."

Mustang stood and saluted. Then he exited the office and walked towards his office. If his team wasn't there he would call for them. They would find Ed, Al, and Taylor and they would explain what the hell was going on.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Use the brake! Brake! _BRAKE!_"

"Aaaaaah!"

Ed spun the wheel at the last second and avoided the tree by mere inches. The car swerved to fast and lifted to the left side on two wheels and only Al throwing his weight to the right side of the car kept us from rolling over. Ed finally hit the brake and we mercifully landed in a ditch unharmed.

Breathing heavily, I crawled out of the front passenger's side and escaped to solid ground. "I'm alive!" I cried, falling to my knees.

"It wasn't _that_ bad!" Ed yelled at me as he got out too.

"I thought I was gonna die!" Al cried, getting out from the back seat and joining me on the ground.

Ed crossed his arms and fumed silently, too prideful to admit he was a bad driver. When we were escaping from Archer and his men Ed had jumped into one of their abandoned vehicles and told us to get in. I didn't realize how bad an idea that was until _after_ we were barreling down the road. We must have almost run over a dozen people before we got out of Dublith. To put it lightly, Ed was not a good driver.

"Okay, no more driving for you Ed," I commanded, standing up shakily and wiping the sweat from my forehead.

He snorted, "Then who's gonna drive?"

I stood there with hands on my hips, staring at him intently.

He paled, "No way. Then we'd really die."

I glared at him, "For your information I drive perfectly fine and a thousand times better than you. At least _I_ have a driver's license. I have a car back home I drove nearly everyday. I doubt you've ever driven before today so that makes me the one with more experience."

He deflated but didn't want to submit. Finally, Al had to come to my defense, "Brother, for the sake of our lives let her drive."

Ed grumbled something about us not being fair and teaming up on him. Then he walked away from us, "Well, what are you guys waiting for? The car's not gonna move itself."

Al and I sighed and went to help Ed move the car back into a stable position. We had been driving for a few hours and the sky had darkened to night. The old dirt road we were traveling down led towards Resembool, the only safe place we could think of to regain our bearings. Traveling there by train was out of the question because the military would catch us but it's not like we could get there by foot either. I have to say, Ed's plan to steal the car was pretty smart, but his driving should be illegal.

After successfully moving the car back onto the road, I stretched like a cat and dropped my jaw in a yawn. Al noticed and suggested that we rest for the night. Ed disagreed until I was forced to give him the puppy dog eyes. Then he relented and me and him piled into the car to get some much needed sleep. Al stationed himself outside to keep watch in case the military caught up to us. I took the fronts seat while Ed situated himself in the back. This may not be the most comfortable place to sleep but it was far better than sleeping on the ground.

From where I lay I could see the stars out the window and a few glimpses of leaves from the surrounding trees. The winter season was quickly passing and making way for Spring. The snow that fell days ago had melted later that day with the warming weather. Tonight though, a chill filled the air and I huddled in the front seat under my jacket. It would have been really cold had I not liked dressing in layers so much.

As I waited for sleep to take me I continued to watch the stars with one thing on my mind: Riza Hawkeye. Could what Archer said be the truth? Had she really died? Or was this all just a ploy? The remaining Homunculi were obviously wanting to get me into their hands. I assumed Lust had told Dante about my strange use of alchemy before she died. Dante probably figured out the truth or something close to it. What would she do to me if they caught me? The thought made me shiver.

"Would you stop?" Ed groaned from the backseat.

Confused, I asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I can practically hear you thinking," he replied.

"Oh…" I murmured. Ed could be childish sometimes so I could easily forget how perceptive he could be.

He sighed, "So what's on your mind?"

I played with the cuff of my jacket as I answered, "Hawkeye…do you think she's…really dead?"

Ed was silent for so long that I almost thought he ignored me and went to sleep. But then he finally responded, "I'm sure you've figured out by now that the Homunculi are behind this as a way to get you to them." I nodded, though he couldn't see it. "To pin you for something as big as murdering a first lieutenant…they couldn't fake it. It would have to be real to make everyone believe."

Guilt twisted in my stomach, "So then, she really is gone…it really is my fault."

I heard Ed shift in the backseat and his voice sounded closer when he spoke. "Taylor…"

"Don't say it Ed," I snapped as I glared at the steering wheel. "Don't say that it isn't my fault because it is. Hawkeye was never meant to die. This would have never happened if I were here. Envy killed her while in my form just to put the military against me. She's dead because of me." I began to sink into a dark pit of remorse and a sob hitched in my throat but I froze when Ed spoke again.

"If you hadn't of ever come here, it's true that Hawkeye may still be alive. But Hughes wouldn't. And don't forget about the girls you saved from that human trafficking group. They're safe because of you. And then there's Al and I. You've helped us more than we can ever thank you for."

I frowned, "I haven't really done anything for you guys."

I felt something hit against my head and winced. I looked over to see Ed propping his arms on the tops of the front seat, his automail arm retreating from when he thumped me. I would have complained but I paused at the fire in his eyes.

"Taylor, you brought us hope," he told me, his voice filled with some unknown emotion. "Al and I, we searched for years for the Philosopher's Stone and every time I'd think it was within our grasp we'd come to a dead end and have to start all over again. Even though I wouldn't stop looking I started to believe that I'd never find a way to return Al back to normal." Then he smiled, "And then you showed up. You gave us a reason to press forward, a hope that we'd finally get our bodies back."

I interrupted him, "But Ed, that was before I came here. The ending could change and you and Al could end up like Hawkeye!"

"Then we'll have to work that much harder," he smirked, determination written clear on his face. "I won't let it end that way after we've come so far. I'm going to get Al's body back, you'll finish Truth's game, and we'll stop the Homunculi. And if that Fate guy shows up again we'll kick his ass too! We're not going down that easily. We'll fight this, together."

Looking up at him and seeing his confidence I felt a warm spark of optimism in my chest. Maybe…just maybe…we could win this.

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><p><strong>I was gonna keep going but this seemed like a good place to end it.<strong>

**So, I just looked at the review count...NEARLY 1,000 REVIEWS! I deeply appreciate those of you who take the time to review. Thank you so much!**


	50. Chapter 49

**Ugh, I'm so tired. It took me forever to finish this chapter and it was hard to write for some reason but I pulled through! But what makes me feel so much better and what makes it all worth it is...I GOT 1000 REVIEWS! *rains confetti***

**Hm, I'd probably say more but I've been up all night working on this and just got it done. I'm gonna go take a nice long nap now. Enjoy the chapter!**

**Thanks for this chapter goes to FmanimeFreakFanGirl for looking over this chapter for me and for just being an overall awesome chick.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 49<strong>

**Guilt and Pain**

(-Taylor-)

Early the next morning the three of us headed out, with me driving of course. It became clearly apparent that I was the better driver and, to my great amusement, Al pointed it out by saying, "Wow Taylor, there are so many things you can do better than Brother!"

"I beg to differ," Ed sulked miserably in the passengers seat.

"Well let's see, I can drive, I can draw, I can play music, I can converse with people better than you-"

"At least I'm better at fighting, alchemy, and I'm pretty sure I'm a better cook that you too."

"And a better smartass."

"HEY!"

I cracked up, "Hahaha! I win!"

We went on with our little game for the better part of the morning. Even Al joined in at one point. He was better with animals, topped Ed in the fighting category, and was definitely more polite than either Ed and I. It was an interesting drive to Resembool, to say the least. And I wouldn't admit to Ed but driving the car was harder than it looked. Vehicles were vastly different in the hundred year gap between my world and Amestris and it took some getting used to.

When we were within a couple miles of Resembool Ed directed me to go off of the road as far as we could. I asked him where we were going and he said that we'd need to get into town the back way. If we tried to go in the front there would probably be officers waiting to arrest us. This vaguely reminded me of when Ed and Al escaped Lior after the Philosopher's Stone was made and they fled to Resembool but had to get in a different way. The military was after us but in this circumstance it was because I was an alleged murderer. Oh, Mom would be so proud…

I drove the car as far as it could go. When the trees closed in to the point driving was impossible we were forced to ditch the car. The sun shone high up in the sky, signaling that it was around noon. The tall trees were scattered and some of the grass reached up to my waist. The land was easy to maneuver by foot and I found myself lost in the beauty of it. A comfortable silence rested over the three of us and I used this time to let my mind wander. If you must know I was mostly thinking about food. I hadn't eaten since lunch yesterday and I was getting the munchies bad. So to distract myself I listened to the birds singing above us.

Later on the ground made way to a river and while we walked along the edge of it, I commented, "I recognize this place."

"You do?" Al asked, understandably puzzled.

I nodded, "Yeah, this is the way you guys took when you were running away from the military in the anime."

"That sounds familiar," Ed mumbled.

Al, thinking more into it, asked, "But this is different. What made us have to run in the story?"

I scratched my head, wondering if I should tell them or not. It would probably be a bad idea but I saw no problem in giving them a vague explanation. "Some events went down in Lior with you guys, the military, and Scar. You guys went against the State and they didn't take too kindly to that."

Al sweat dropped, "So what did Brother do?"

"SHUT UP! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT IT WOULD BE _MY _FAULT?"

Al and I shared a look and we busted out laughing. Ed fumed and marched ahead of us, ambling more towards the shade of the trees. Al and I trailed behind him, all the while whispering to each other to get on Ed's nerves. When Ed suddenly stopped and tensed I thought he'd had enough of us and would start ranting. Instead, he told us in a low voice, "I hear someone coming. Quick, hide."

I froze and listened with my own ears. Now that I was alert I could definitely hear someone coming our way. Ed swiftly used alchemy to make a pile of leaves into camouflage for Al. Since Al was so much bigger he'd need to hide under the blanket of leaves. Ed and I ducked behind a couple of trees as voices approached us. I peeked around a tree and to my relief I saw Breda and Falman walking along the edge of the river. Though I couldn't make out their words I knew they must be talking about us. Why else were they here other than to find us? Despite how relaxed I became, Ed remained rigid.

"Ed, I don't think-" I tried to tell him but he cut me off.

"Shh," he ordered. He obviously didn't want them to hear us.

"But Ed," I began again. This time I didn't get to finish because I was grabbed from behind. Adrenaline rushed through my veins and I reacted instinctively. I spun around and punched my attacker right in the face.

"Ow!" both the guy and I cried. Him from me breaking his nose and me from almost breaking my hand.

"Havoc?" I heard Ed gasp from behind me.

Havoc clutched his now bleeding nose, "Shit, you've got one hell of a right hook kid." Fuery stepped out from behind Havoc and sent us a friendly wave.

Ed acted immediately and pulled me behind him. He assumed a defensive stance in case they came after us.

Since Havoc was still holding his face and murmuring curses, Fuery took on the role of speaker, "Hold on, Ed. All we want to do is talk."

I couldn't see his face but I'm sure Ed's expression was anything but pleasant, "I'm not letting you take Taylor."

"Don't make us force you, Ed," Havoc said. He showed just how serious he was by calling Ed by his name instead of 'Chief'. "We're all friends here so let's just be reasonable."

"I don't think so," Ed gritted his teeth at them.

I took a deep breath to brace myself. Ed wasn't going to like what I did next. I laid my hand on his shoulder(the hand that wasn't throbbing) and told him, "It's okay Ed. We're all on the same side."

Ed glanced at me out of the corner of his eye in disbelief, "Taylor, they want to take you back to Central and you want me to stand down?"

"That's not what Mustang intended. Is it?" I aimed the question at Havoc.

He seemed taken aback but gave a stiff nod.

Breda and Falman hurried towards our little standoff, having probably heard us and came running. Ed tensed once again and I could see that he wanted to bolt. I shook my head, "Just trust me on this Ed. They're here to help."

He stared at me for a while and I wondered if he would believe me or not. Finally, he sighed, "I sure hope you know what you're doing, Taylor."

_Same here_, I thought to myself. I had a pretty good idea on what was going on but I still couldn't be one hundred percent sure. If we did things this way then we could avoid the hassle of fighting each other. But events could have changed and they could really be here to take us back to Central. However, I was betting that Mustang and his team were here to just get answers on Hawkeye's murder. Mustang had to have figured out by now that I wouldn't have done such a thing. Right? I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

As we waited for the others to get here, Ed told Al he could come out and I pulled a tissue from my pocket and offered it to Havoc.

"Sorry about the nose," I apologized.

He took it and held it to his face, "S'okay. At least I know not to sneak up on you anymore."

I grinned but later cringed when Breda set Havoc's nose back into place. Oooh, that had to hurt.

Everyone remained silent until Mustang arrived. Accompanying him was Armstrong and a platoon of soldiers, none of whom looked happy. It pained me to see that Hawkeye was missing from their ranks. All eyes were on Mustang as he approached us three. His dark eyes wandered from Al, to Ed, and then to me last. His gaze bore into me and I fidgeted under the strength of his stare.

"I'm assuming you know why we're here," he said to me.

I gulped, "Yes. The Fuhrer ordered you to bring me to Central alive and to kill Ed and Al, right?"

Ed and Al audibly gasped at that last part. They still didn't know that Bradley was a homunculus, though everyone probably had mild suspicions about some of the man's actions. Mustang's eyes gleamed with knowing and nodded.

The brothers took positions in front of me before I could even blink. It warmed my heart to see them so protective of me but it was unnecessary.

"I always knew you were a bastard," Ed muttered.

Al tried a more diplomatic approach, "Colonel, don't you think this is a little extreme?"

The older man's face was impassive and I had no idea what he could be thinking behind that mask of his. "An attempt on the life of the Fuhrer is anything but extreme. Not to mention the murder of an upstanding Lieutenant."

"So what then? Are you just gonna do away with us without a second thought. Obeying the commands of your master just like any other dog."

Mustang let anger seep into his mask as he glared at Ed, "You forget that you're a dog of the military as well."

Ed scoffed, "Not if it means giving up my friends. So now I guess I'm more of a stray."

He was quiet for a few moments. Then Mustang's expression changed as he explained, "When I was in the war in Ishval there were these two doctors. They were giving aid not only to our men but the rebels as well that would only come back as insurgents and kill more of our men. We asked them to stop treating the Ishvalans but they said that they were doctors and to them there wasn't any sides, just people that needed help. I received my orders shortly after and eliminated them that night."

As he spoke about who I knew to be the Rockbells, his eyes took on a haunted glaze. Even his voice seemed eerie. "Afterwards, I tried to kill myself but couldn't go through with it. So then I made an oath to myself that I would never follow another unreasonable order again. That I would reach a position to where I didn't have to."

"Then what are you here for?" Ed asked, somewhat calmer.

His voice held smoldering fury, "I'm here because I'm pissed because one of my closest comrades is dead and I want to know what the hell is going on. Why did you run? Why didn't you come to me for help?"

Ed's eyes widened at that, not having realized that Mustang and his team would be there for him more than he would have realized. Al glanced at Ed expecting him to answer but Ed looked away from everyone and stared at the ground.

"You've figured out by now who really killed Hawkeye?" Ed stated more than asked.

Mustang gave a stiff nod, "The shape shifting homunculus, Envy." Inwardly, I gave a sigh of relief. I'm so glad they didn't really think I killed her. "But what I want to know is why he would take Taylor's form and pin the blame on her."

"Because it would force her back to Central," Al answered.

"And yet, she would be under the watch of the military. So what purpose does that serve, unless…someone high up really is working with the Homunculi."

"_Very _high up," I commented.

Mustang fixed his eyes on me, "You know then. Tell me."

I would have but I gave a glance to all of the soldiers loitering behind Armstrong. Every single on of them had their eyes glued on us. Not the best audience to have this conversation. Mustang glanced in that direction and caught on to my predicament. He called Armstrong over and whispered a couple of things to him. Armstrong nodded and turned to the crowd.

"Gentlemen, it seems our mission here is complete. Let us head out."

A couple of them voiced their concern on leaving Mustang here unwatched. After all, Armstrong was here on behalf of the Fuhrer to make sure Mustang wasn't instigating anything with his fugitive subordinate. It's a good thing they didn't know that Armstrong and Mustang were on the same side. Armstrong convinced them with a few loud shouts and sparkles and they left in a hurry.

With our audience gone, all eyes looked to me. Without waiting to be told again, I braced myself cause this was not gonna be pretty. "Fuhrer King Bradley is a homunculus."

Their reactions did not disappoint me. Fuery's eyes bulged behind his glasses, Havoc's cigarette fell out of his mouth, Breda had a 'WTF' expression, Falman actually opened his eyes, Mustang was the most surprised I'd ever seen him, and Ed had literally dropped his jaw while Al let out a shocked gasp.

"That's quite an accusation," Mustang managed to say. "Especially since Envy was targeting the Fuhrer but Hawkeye was killed in his place."

"That's probably what they planned. They knew Hawkeye well enough to know that she would protect Bradley. Then that would give them the perfect reason to hunt me down. And then there's the fact that his secretary was a homunculus herself."

Ed gasped as it all clicked in his mind, "That's right! Colonel, her, Envy, and another homunculus came after Taylor in Dublith the day before yesterday. She was known as Sloth and Al and I defeated her ourselves."

"Impossible," Mustang declared. "I saw her myself yesterday…" By the way he trailed off he too was having an epiphany.

"It had to be Envy," Al voiced our thoughts.

Falman spoke up now, "But isn't a homunculus an artificially created human? They're practically immortal but the Fuhrer ages."

"That's only because that's the way his master made him," I told them.

"So there's someone behind the Homunculi pulling their strings?" Mustang asked.

I nodded, "But now with only Envy, Wrath, and Gluttony left alive their forces are running low. They probably wanted you to dispose of Ed and Al because they've been causing too much trouble for them. Plus, you'd be bringing me right to them."

"Two birds with one stone," Ed agreed.

"Even so, it's still hard to believe," Mustang said.

"Haven't you ever noticed how Amestris has been at war ever since Bradley became Fuhrer?" I asked, trying to give them more proof.

Breda nodded, "Yeah, ever since he became Fuhrer it's been one campaign after another. I never noticed that. But why would they do that?"

"They want to create a Philosopher's Stone," I answered. "With all those people dying there's got to be quite a lot of ones left alive that would do anything to bring they're loved ones back. And since they've got nothing else to lose they go searching for the stone, led on by vague hints left by the Homunculi themselves."

"So all of these wars have just been to help the Homunculi?" Fuery asked in mild horror.

Mustang clenched his fists, "I'm a soldier. I don't mind war. What I mind is killing without a valid reason." Then he looked to me, "If what you say is true then I can't abide this."

I could see that he wanted to ascertain this on his own so I nodded, "When you get back to Central just ask Bradley about Ms. Douglas and you'll find out for yourself."

He gave me a stiff nod and turned away from us. "Let's head out," he ordered. Everyone did just that. As we walked towards Resembool, I couldn't help but think how Hawkeye's absence affected everyone. You'd think that without her stern disposition everyone would be more relaxed. Instead, they gave off waves of coiled tension and a deep sense of melancholy. I bit my lip, trying to keep my guilt from flowing out of me in tears. I just wanted to sob and scream so badly knowing that I had caused the death of an extraordinary woman, a woman who had saved me not long ago. And this is how the favor was returned. It wasn't fair, but then again that's life.

Perceiving my bad mood, Ed and Al didn't say anything to me. I know they wanted to ask about why I had never mentioned anything about the Fuhrer before, even if I was trying to stick to the timeline. For now though, they let me be.

Mustang led our group with his team directly behind him, Ed and Al walked side by side behind them and then I brought up the rear. Several minutes passed in near silence and it surprised me when Havoc appeared by my side.

"So how's a kid like you know so much?" he asked me, giving off an air of nonchalance. I wasn't fooled by it. Inside he was extremely curious.

"Because I watch to much TV," I mumbled under my breath.

"What?"

"Uh, never mind." I could see that he still wanted to know so I added, "Let's just say I'm not from around here, and because of that I know a lot of things."

"That doesn't really explain how," he commented.

I sighed, "It's complicated. And my being here was just a fluke. I kinda got dragged into it and I've been along for the ride ever since."

Havoc pondered this for a while and then asked, "When you said you know about a lot of things, what other things do you know?"

"Hm," I thought on it. "I know that you were gonna eat Black Hayate when Fuery first brought him into the office."

"I was just kidding!" Havoc shouted. Then he stared at me dumbfounded, "Wait, how did you know about that?"

I shrugged, "Again, I know about a lot of things. Like how Fuery and Falman got scared of Wareouse 13 and made the rest of you guys go on a ghost hunt with them. And how Breda's terrified of dogs."

The rest of them were apparently listening in to our conversation because Breda yelled, "Hey, they are vicious creatures!"

Ed snickered, "I didn't know you were afraid of dogs. That's rich."

Breda fumed, but started laughing when Al interjected, "At least he's not afraid of milk, Brother."

Right on cue, Ed began ranting, "Just because I won't drink it doesn't mean I'm scared of it! I will not drink disgusting cow secretions!"

I laughed and went on, "And then there's Mustang who wants a miniskirt harem."

Mustang didn't bother to look at me when he answered, "It's a perfectly noble dream for any man to have."

"So does that mean you're psychic or something?" Fuery questioned me.

My voice suddenly turned somber, "No. If I was then I would have seen Hawkeye's death coming and she'd still be alive." Everyone fell silent after that. I sure knew how to kill a conversation.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"It doesn't look like the investigation team has arrived here yet," Falman commented. All of us were currently hiding in the bushes on a hill that overlooked most of the town including the Rockbell's house. A fuzzy memory tugged at my mind. If this was like in the show wasn't somebody supposed to be walking by here? Some military officer I think…Ross or Broch, I couldn't remember which. And then Hohenheim was supposed to show up at the Rockbells around this time…But no one appeared and I was left to wonder.

Our group approached the house cautiously, Mustang having ordered Falman and Fuery to go scout out the train station while the rest of us would hide out here. If they saw the investigations team arrive they were to call us immediately and warn us. When Pinako answered the door she didn't look too surprised to see us all there. She ushered us in and offered to cook dinner. My mouth watered at that and out of gratitude I offered to help her in the kitchen. Plus, I could get away from the crowded living room and give myself room to think.

"Have you heard from Winry lately?" I asked Pinako as we set about making sandwiches along with side dishes that together could feed an army.

"She called yesterday and is suppose to come by sometime next week to get some supplies and visit. But she confessed that she was worried about the three of you."

"Worried about us?" I repeated.

The old woman nodded, "Yes, she hasn't heard much and was last told that you were going home." Pinako seemed to make that last part a question.

I gave my attention to the sandwich I was preparing, "I was needed here more so I changed my mind."

"So what trouble has those boys gotten into this time?" she asked.

I stiffened, "Actually, it'd be more accurate to say that _I _got _them_ into trouble…"

"And they're sticking with you, right?" she asked me knowingly. "Don't think that you're a burden to them. They wouldn't be helping you if they didn't want to. They can be a handful sometimes but they've got good hearts."

I gave her a genuine smile at that. As we finished up with making dinner I promised Pinako that I would call Winry and let her know that we were okay.

Dinner that afternoon was…rambunctious. That was the first word that came to mind. The conversation was mostly the guys teasing each other and somehow I got dragged into it. Breda asked me and Ed if we were together yet. Startled, Ed and I glanced at each other but quickly found somewhere else to look as our faces colored in embarrassment.

"Oh, they are!" Havoc chuckled. "Pay up, Breda!"

I couldn't believe that they actually…wait no, considering it was them I was talking about I could believe that Havoc and Breda had made a bet about us hooking up. I was somewhat curious about the conditions of the bet but I was mostly mad. I narrowed my eyes at Havoc, "Shut up, Havoc! Unless you want me to dislocate your nose again."

He immediately backed down and Breda teased him for being scared of a girl. I glared at Breda too and he shut up as well, though it might have been due to Ed's heated glare as well.

Strangely enough, Mustang said very little. He spoke when spoken to and ate all the food on his plate but kept drifting off in a daze. He may have been here physically but his mind was miles away.

After dinner I excused myself to go call Winry. Al told me to tell her hi from him and his brother and I agreed. Winry was, to say the least, excited to hear from me. Well, first she yelled at me a lot for not calling her sooner and then she settled down to where we could talk. She asked me what happened and why I didn't go home and I briefly described to her what happened with Mom and that I still had to help Ed and Al. I left out the whole part about us being on the run from the military but I did talk to her about Hawkeye. She was understandably shocked and I could hear her voice thick with tears.

"Please don't cry Winry," I begged. "If you start I don't think I'll be able to hold back either."

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "I just can't believe a strong woman like Lieutenant Hawkeye is gone. It just isn't fair!"

I smiled bitterly and told her my exact thoughts from earlier today, "Life isn't fair."

We talked for about an hour, trying to stray from the subject of Hawkeye and talk about more pleasant things. She told me about some of her latest projects and I laughed when she explained about one grouchy customer of hers. Talking to her made me wish she was here. I told her as much and explained how there weren't enough females over here. It'd be nice to have her here to throw a wrench or two at the guys. She laughed with me on that.

When Garfiel needed her help with something Winry told me she had to go and would talk to me later. We said our goodbyes and I walked back into the living room. Ed, Al, Havoc, and Breda were huddled around the coffee table playing a game of cards. From their expressions it seemed that Ed was winning.

"How can you be so lucky?" Breda asked, scratching his head.

Ed grinned, pulling in his winnings, "What can I say? I'm just that good."

I snorted, "He's hiding cards in his sleeve."

Everyone turned to stare at the boy in question and Ed began to nervously sweat. I laughed and went outside before the other guys could maul Ed. On the front porch I was met with the sight of Mustang lounging on the steps, Den laying down beside him. Mustang lazily smoothed the dog's fur with his fingers. Well, Mustang did love dogs after all.

I closed the door behind me, leaving the area in darkness. I let my eyes adjust for a moment before going over to them. Den looked up at me with puppy dog eyes, practically begging me to pet him as I sat on the other side of him. The pooch wagged its tail frantically as I scratched his head. Mustang made no reaction to my presence, opting to stare out at the vast hills instead.

"I'm sorry," I spoke quietly.

He raised an eyebrow at me and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, "What for?"

"You must hate me. They killed Hawkeye because they wanted to get to me." I stared down at Den while I talked, afraid to meet the man's gaze.

"I admit, for awhile after…I loathed you because even though I didn't know the extent to which you were involved, it was enough that you were a part of it. But for the most part I just wanted to know what was going on."

I swallowed and forced myself to ask, "And now?"

He sighed, "And now I'm…"

"Lost?" I supplied the word for him. He turned to look at me as if asking how I knew. I gave a small smile, "Believe me, I've been feeling like that these past couple months more than I've ever felt in my entire life."

He nodded and waited a few moments before asking, "Where is your mother?"

I felt a twist of pain in my heart as I answered, "I used the homunculus Wrath as a sacrifice to the gate to send her back home."

The only way I could tell that he was surprised was by the slight widening of his eyes, "And you didn't go with her because?"

"Because I've got unfinished business here. Ed and Al still need my help, the Homunculi will keep killing more innocent people until they're stopped, and if I ever want Hughes to wake up again I'll finish this game."

"What do you mean?" he asked sharply, my use of his friend's name gaining his undivided attention.

I explained to him how I saw what could only be Hughes's soul at the gate at one point and how Truth would only give it back once I'd completed the game. Mustang was puzzled by some of this and asked me questions but even my answers could not fully explain it. I told him that even I was confused by some of it.

"Was that why you were with him that night?" Mustang asked me.

I nodded, gazing down at Den once more, "I tried…but it didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I should have told someone instead of rushing in by myself, but I was scared to."

"He's alive, at least," Mustang said, a ghost of a smile on his face. I think he was a smidge more relaxed because he knew that there was some hope for his comatose friend. Then he asked me, "You really didn't know that Riza…"

I shook my head, "No, of course not!" I realized that I was a bit too loud so I turned down the volume. "I mean, if I did I would have done something, _anything_. But I never considered any of your team back at Central would be in danger because none of you were supposed to die. I'm such an idiot. I should have known the Homunculi would try something like this to get their hands on me. But it wasn't…it wasn't supposed to be like this damn it."

I wiped at my face furiously. I know Ed told me not to blame myself and I knew that it would get me nowhere but for God's sake, someone was dead because of me! It was impossible to not feel this overbearing guilt, to look at anyone from Mustang's team and know that a vital member of their team was missing because of me, to see their pained faces and the haunted look in Mustang's eyes. And more than the guilt was my own sense of loss at knowing such an amazing woman was gone and I would never see her again. A woman I'd always greatly admired and respected, was gone forever.

"I'm sorry," I apologized again, my voice shaky. "I want so bad to make this right but I know that I can't and for that I am truly sorry."

Mustang appeared taken aback. But then his usual mask slipped away and his face softened. He laid a comforting hand on my head and muttered, "Me too."

For the next couple of minutes there were no words, just a mutual understanding between us. We just sat there until my tears dried up and I got a hold of myself. I was slightly embarrassed at Mustang, of all people, seeing me breakdown like that but I felt relief from it too. Still felt like crap though, but not as bad.

Den whined and licked my cheek, causing me to smile and hug him. He was such a sweet dog and for such a big fella he was so puppy-like.

"There's only one choice for me now," Mustang began. I paused my petting and looked up at him. His face was set with determination. "I'll find out what Bradley's involvement in this is and if he really is as you say, then I'll kill him. For Riza. I won't let him get away with what he's done."

"I don't think she would want you to kill him just for her," I spoke without really thinking. I just let the words flow out of my mouth. "She would want you to do it for all of Amestris and to end these pointless wars. She always believed that you could, so do her proud."

With that, I stood up and stretched, "I think I'm gonna go back inside now." Mustang hummed a reply. He didn't say any words, didn't really even glance at me, but I could tell that he was…peaceful. I left him to his own thoughts and went into the house.

The guys didn't notice my entrance as they were still playing cards with the exception of Edward. He sulked on the sidelines as if they'd banned him from playing because they had caught him cheating. And he sported a couple of marks that suspiciously looked like bruises. Heh, serves the cheater right. I told him as much too, with a smirk I might add.

Ed crossed his arms, "Well it wouldn't have been a problem if you'd kept your mouth shut."

I rolled my eyes, "Edward, haven't you ever heard the phrase, 'cheaters never prosper'?"

"You better listen to your girl, Chief," Havoc commented with a smug look.

I swiveled around to flick Havoc in his still sore nose. He cursed and held his face. Breda chuckled and so did Ed from behind me and I couldn't help but smile. Havoc glowered, calling me a brat as he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket to get a smoke.

"Excuse me?" I gave him an evil glare and snatched his pack of cigarettes away from him.

"Hey! Give those back!" he demanded, trying to grab them.

I dodged him, "Not until you take back what you said! And you don't need these cancer sticks anyway!"

Havoc ran after me and I dodged him, spinning around ready to throw the pack, "Ed! Catch!"

Ed grinned excitedly and caught it, going along with my game. Together, Ed and I eluded Havoc for a whole five minutes. Then Al was telling Ed and I that we were being mean and should stop and then I'm not sure what happened next exactly. All I knew was that Ed went to throw the pack at me, Havoc and I both jumped to grab it, and the next thing I knew was that all five of us were in a massive pile on the floor. We looked like a game of Twister gone wrong and that was the sight Mustang was met with when he came in.

"Do I even want to know?" he asked with suppressed amusement.

Ed and I glanced at each other and that did it. We cracked up. And pretty soon everyone else was laughing too. Even Mustang couldn't help but to chuckle. While I was too busy laughing Havoc stole his cigarettes back and quickly hid them from me, which made me giggle even more.

"Anyway," Mustang cleared his throat, "We've got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. We should get some rest while we can. Falman and Fuery are posted by the motel at the train station so they should contact us if anything comes up."

Things calmed down after that as we figured out where everyone was sleeping for the night. Havoc and Breda took the spare bedroom where Ed and Al usually stayed, Mustang took the sofa in the living room, Al stayed in the kitchen with a couple of books to keep him company, and Ed and I got Winry's room.

When Ed and I retired there for the night, I laughed, "This reminds me of when we were back at the dorms."

"How so?" he asked as he shrugged off his coat and tossed it on the chair by the desk.

"The one bed thing," I pointed out.

Ed laughed too and asked, "We aren't going to have another argument over who gets the bed, are we?"

I shook my head, going over to Winry's dresser in search of some pants I could wear to sleep in that were more comfortable than jeans. "Ed, we shared then and I think we can manage now. Besides, I don't really mind sleeping with you." I blushed at what I said, "Wait, that came out wrong."

Instead of being embarrassed like I thought he would be, Ed gave me a cheeky grin and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

I laughed at his audacity, "Why Ed, I never pegged you as the perverted type."

"Says the girl going through someone else's drawers."

"I'm just looking for something comfortable to sleep in. I'm sure Winry wouldn't mind." I looked through another drawer but this one only held tops. Before I could close it though, Ed stepped beside me and pulled out an article of clothing.

"I think you should sleep in this," he suggested, holding up one of Winry's tiny tube tops.

I blushed, snatching it out of his hand and smacked him with it, "Hell no!" I shoved the top back into its drawer and moved on before Ed could find something else to suggest for me to wear. I finally found a pair of sweat pants and considered going to the bathroom to change. But I didn't want to bother anyone by going through the house so I decided to just change in here. I made Ed look the other way and told him if he even thought about turning around like he did last time we were in this same circumstance that I would use Winry's tools on him. Need I say, he didn't turn around as I changed.

Ed, having shed his clothes and left in his black tank top and boxers, got into bed. I threw off my over shirt and flopped on to the bed. I sighed as I sank into the mattress.

Ed chuckled, "Comfy?"

In answer I snuggled up to him and closed my eyes, "Now I am." I'm positive that he was blushing but he didn't push me away, choosing to wrap his arm around me and pull me closer. I fell asleep quickly and was grateful that my dreams were free of guilt and pain.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, this turned out waaaaay longer than I had planned. It was 12 pages on Microsoft, so I hope you guys enjoyed the long chappy. My favorite part of writing this chapter were the scenes with Havoc. I'm such a big Havoc fan and I loved putting in those bickering moments with him and Taylor like they're siblings. Also, it seems that the more time Ed spend with Taylor the more comfortable he is...and perverted. Ed's such a guy. XD<strong>

**There's more in store for you my furry friends in the next chapter so I hope you guys tune in next week for the next episode!**

**Taylor: Don't you mean chapter?**

**LeFay: ...I know what I said.**


	51. Chapter 50

**Got this chapter finished a whole day sooner than expected so here it is! Eat your hearts out!**

**So, I've got a couple of things to tell you guys. One: I got really bored one day this week and made a video called, "How To Grow A Hair". I posted it on you tube if you guys are interested. Two: I'm hoping to record a video interview of the real life Taylor and I was wanting some questions from you guy! If you could ask the real Taylor anything, what would it be? "What's your shoe size?" "Favorite cheese" "Preffered weapon of choice?" That kind of thing. I figured it'd be interesting for you guys.**

**And one last thing. I've had a few lovely people to draw fanart of my stories but I've yet to have anyone draw a picture of Fate. I'd really appreciate it if someone would be generous enough to draw a picture of him. If you're interested in that just PM me.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 50<strong>

**The End is Coming**

(-Ed-)

Mustang's team departed early the next morning. Falman had called to warn everyone that the investigation team had arrived and Mustang said that he would go meet them and attempt to divert them before they headed out to Central. Before Mustang left he gave Ed and Al some unsettling news. Izumi and Sig had both been captured by Archer's team and were being held prisoner at Central Headquarters. The only possible explanation to how that happened would be that Teacher overexerted herself and in her weakened state was taken along with her husband.

As the others left for the train station, Ed slammed his fist into the dining room table. Al glanced at him but didn't comment. They were both thinking the same thing. It seemed inevitable that everyone they got close to was destined to suffer for their problems.

"Ed, Al," Pinako said as she entered the room. "It would be best if the three of you stayed in the basement for the time being, in case anyone comes looking for you here."

Ed heaved a sigh, "I guess you're right Granny. Go ahead Al and I'll go wake up Taylor." Al nodded and they went separate ways.

Upstairs, Ed found Taylor sleeping peacefully. The girl lay huddled under the blankets, curled up in a tight ball. Her long hair splayed out behind her and over the side of the mattress. She looked so calm and younger than her actual age. Despite the crappy situation, Ed smiled. It seemed that whenever Ed saw Taylor he couldn't resist smiling.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and shook her shoulder gently, "Taylor, it's time to get up." No response. The girl was out like a light. Ed tried again and still nothing. He pulled at the sheets a bit and her only response was to groan and cuddle further into her pillow. What was it going to have to take? Did he have to start shouting fire?

Suddenly, Ed thought of a wonderful idea. He leaned down and breathed huskily into her ear, "Taaaaylor." She moaned in response but stubbornly remained sleeping. He decided to kick it up a notch. His tongue darted out and flicked across her neck, causing her to shiver.

_Interesting_, Ed mused to himself while wearing a huge grin. He would have continued had Taylor not chosen that moment to wake up.

"Wha-?" she started in bewilderment and lurched forward. Her head collided painfully with Ed's cheek.

"Ow!" they both cried in unison. Taylor rubbed her head and asked, "What were you doing, Ed?"

"Good morning to you to," he grumbled, massaging his cheek. He stood up and, walking towards the door, said, "Come on. We need to get to the basement before anyone shows up here looking for us."

Taylor was still confused but got up and followed him.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

As we descended the basement stairs I rubbed at the sore spot on my forehead. _I knew Ed was hardheaded but did I really have to find out like that?_ I asked myself. And what was he doing anyway? I wasn't sure what but…he was definitely up to no good before I had woken up. For all I know he was trying to molest me in my sleep…nah, I doubt it… But then again, he could be quite the trickster.

"Crap!" I exclaimed as I nearly tripped on a box. I should really pay more attention to my surroundings than zone out like that.

"Nice," Ed snickered, shaking his head at me.

I narrowed my eyes, "Shut up before I kick your Fullmetal arse."

He gave me a cheeky grin while Al told us to play nice. And here I thought we were. I made it over to where Al was sitting on the floor, without tripping again I might add, and Ed sat down on my other side.

"So, I'm assuming the others left already," I commented. It wasn't really a question but Ed answered anyway.

"Yeah. The colonel said he'd try to get the investigation team off our backs but I don't think it'll be that easy."

"It never is," Al sighed.

Wow, they seemed chipper. "What's up with you guys? Did I miss something?"

Ed remained silent, deep in thought. I looked to Al and he sighed.

"Before he left, the colonel told us that Teacher and Mr. Sig were being held prisoner at Central."

"But that's not-" I was going to say that it wasn't possible because Izumi was too skilled an alchemist to be subdued by just a few officers but then a thought occurred to me. "Oh, she must have gotten one of her attacks."

Ed grunted, "My thoughts exactly."

I glanced back and forth between them, "So, what are we gonna do about it?"

"Well, we can't leave them there," Al agreed.

"We'll go to Central and bust them out," Ed said simply. "And afterwards we'll pay the Fuhrer a visit."

I contemplated this. It seemed to coincide mostly from the first FMA series, so maybe things really were beginning to right themselves. Except…Hawkeye was still supposed to be in the picture.

_No_, I thought firmly. I couldn't let myself wallow in the guilt any longer. I had to set it aside for now and focus on the here and now. If I was right the next couple of days would be Hell and I'd need to put all of my strength into helping my friends.

We stayed down in the basement for a couple of hours not really doing much. None of us felt like talking much and I let my mind wander. I wondered if this would all end up in the underground city, if the same destiny lied in store for Ed and Al. Would Ed wind up in Germany and would Al get his body back from Ed's sacrifice? Or would Ed sacrifice his alchemy to bring Al back? Neither of them I found particularly pleasant. I didn't want Ed and Al to die, even if the other one would bring them back somehow. I would protect them as much as I could and make sure they didn't die. But then what? The question still remained on how to get their bodies back? Mostly it was Al I was concerned with because I knew that a new arm and leg meant nothing to Ed if Al couldn't have his body. So how would Ed go about getting Al's body back this time around if everything went smoothly and no one died? I could offer to use my Philosopher's Stone for Al's body but I might lose myself in the process. Plus, I don't think either Al or Ed would let me try…Then there was the fact of Truth's game. Would it be over when the Homunculi and Dante were defeated? Would I be sent home or stay here? I wasn't sure which I preferred because I had practically made a second home here with Ed and Al. I missed everyone back home dearly but…the thought of leaving them two made me feel like someone punched a hole through my chest.

Finally, Pinako came to tell us that the coast was clear and we were allowed upstairs. The rest of the day passed mostly in a blur. I figured we'd leave tomorrow because that would give us enough time for some of the military presence to lessen and for Ed and Al to form a game plan. But for today we lounged around the house. None of us could really relax, not with tomorrow on our minds.

As the sun began to set I walked outside where I thought Al would be but he was nowhere to be seen. I frowned, wondering where he could have gone. Maybe he decided to take a walk. Following my hunch, I strolled down the road in the opposite direction to the train station. Wind swept across the hills, blowing my hair out and bringing the smell of flowers and country life. I smiled and relished the warm breeze. It really was peaceful here in Resembool. I could get used to living in a beautiful place like this.

Soon, I came across what appeared to be the burnt remains of a house. I didn't inspect it to closely, knowing exactly who's house it used to be. I continued along the dirt road until I came across a graveyard. An unmistakable suit of armor sat in front of one of the graves. I should have guessed that this would be where he had been at. I debated on whether or not I should leave. This was a private moment and I didn't want to intrude. However, seeing Al sitting there in front of his mother's grave I couldn't bear to see him look so sad. No, he may not have a face to display his emotions but I knew Alphonse like he was my own little brother and I could tell when he was sad. So I went over to him.

Al didn't move but he knew I was there. I stood beside him and stared down at Trisha's grave. It was cruel, that she had to die so young and that her sons had to grow up without either of their parents. They were denied a normal childhood the moment Trisha breathed her last breath. Ever since then Ed and Al have had to drag themselves down a treacherous road stained with blood and tears. And yet, even when they fell, even when they became so disheartened, and even while their world crashed down around them time and time again they would just pick themselves back up and persevere.

I wrapped an arm around Al's shoulders, "She would have been so proud of both of you."

Al turned his head to me and stared at me, "How can you be sure?"

I glanced at him and smiled warmly at him, "I know because I'm proud of you too, Al. You're pretty amazing."

"Oh," he stammered, looking away as if he were embarrassed by my praise. I just grinned even more and hugged him. He was so cute!

"Hey, what are you guys doing up here?"

We turned to see Ed walking towards us, a small smile gracing his lips at my display of affection.

"Oh, I just wanted a chance to say hi to Mom before we left," Al explained.

"And I came looking for him and found him here," I nodded towards Al.

Ed nodded once as his eyes strayed to his mother's grave. He stopped beside us and gazed down at the headstone. A hundred emotions flashed across his face as he murmured, "It's been awhile."

I slid one arm around Ed's shoulders while my other stayed wrapped around Al's and we just stood there for the longest time. There was no sound, save for the wind flowing in the leaves of nearby trees. No words passed between us and that was okay with us. It was enough that we were together.

Inspiration came to me and I crouched down. Taking a deep breath and using all of my concentration, I clapped my hands and touched the ground. I kept in mind all of the facts I remembered from reading that book on plant alchemy at Izumi's and I willed the earth to grow. The grass glowed and out sprouted yellow and orange flowers.

Al laughed, "Magic flowers!"

I nodded. That was the same thing Nina had called them.

"Heeeeeey!"

The three of us turned around to see someone running towards us.

"Winry?" Ed gasped, just as confused as the rest of us. "What are you doing here?"

She reached us, panting slightly from her run, "I figured I'd come back home a little early since you guys were here. I'm glad I made it back in time before you left."

"I'm glad you did," I smiled and hugged her. Al and I were happy enough to see her again but Ed stared at her in suspicion.

He leaned in close to her, "How do we know you're the _real _Winry?"

A vein throbbed in her forehead as she whipped out a wrench and smacked him with it.

Ed fell to the ground and groaned, "Yep, that's really her."

"The nerve! Of course it's me you idiot! Are you blind or just plain stupid?"

"That's not it at all, Winry!" Al put in for his brother's behalf. "It's just that with all that's been happening we've got to be careful. That's all."

Winry frowned, "What's that supposed to mean?" She still hadn't been told much, if anything about the Homunculi so I didn't blame her for being confused.

I sighed, "It's a long story but I'll tell you all about it later tonight." Ed sent me a disapproving look and I scowled at him, "What? Don't give me that look. She has every right to know."

He scoffed and was rewarded with a double glare from me and Winry. Ed turned and whistled like he hadn't done anything, causing both Winry and I to roll our eyes at him. Sometimes Ed was just impossible.

"Come on you guys," Winry said, turning to the direction of the house. "Granny sent me up here to tell you supper was ready. I don't know about any of you but I'm starved."

Al and I set off with her with Ed stumbling after us so he wouldn't get left behind.

* * *

><p>(-Pinako-)<p>

The old woman sat on the porch steps as dusk set upon Resembool. She took a drag of her pipe and scratched Den's head. She had finished supper just as her granddaughter had arrived home and now she was just waiting for the kids to get back. She gazed out at the countryside, looking for when they arrived.

Soon she saw four figures walking down the dirt road, all of them talking and laughing among themselves. Pinako smiled to herself. Winry had been friends with Ed and Al for all of her life and the three of them forged an unbreakable bond. But somehow, even having been here for only a few months, Taylor had seamlessly formed her own strong bond with them and made a place for herself among their group. If you didn't know any better you'd think that she'd been there all along. Just watching them interact with each other…Pinako could see how much the four of them just _fit_ together.

Ever since Taylor's addition the boys seemed to brighten, almost as if they were happy. Pinako was grateful towards Taylor because it had been so long since she had seen them smile like that. But she prayed that it would stay this way. She could feel it in her old bones. Something was coming and she feared the worst for them. Pinako hoped that she was wrong but she knew these gut feelings of hers and they never once led her astray.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Everyone ate supper and afterwards Winry and I hung out in her room. There, I gave her a more detailed explanation of the people we were up against. I went so far as to tell her that the Homunculi have been pulling the strings of the military all of this time just in hopes of gaining more power. While I was talking I noticed Winry had become silent, not even looking at me. I trailed off and reached out to touch her shoulder.

"Winry, is something wrong?" I asked, concerned.

She was quiet for a few moments. Then she asked, "So…does that mean that…they were responsible for the war in Ishval?"

I nodded, not sure what she was getting at, "Yeah. A homunculus known as Envy transformed himself as an Amestrian soldier and shot an Ishvalan child. That's when the people of Ishval had had enough of the military and began to fight back and that was more than enough reason for the Fuhrer to order them to be exterminated."

"So they're the reason why my mom and dad are dead," she murmured sadly.

I could have slapped myself for not seeing it before. Of course that was why she was upset. Hell, I'd be upset too!

"Winry…" I began but she interrupted me.

"If they had never started that stupid war then Mom and Dad would still be here with me. Those…those _bastards_!" she yelled. She looked up and glared at the wall across the room. Tears filled her eyes but she did not shed them. Icy flames flared in blue irises as she clenched her fists with rage.

I nodded in complete agreement, "You can say that again."

She wiped furiously at her eyes, "They've got to be stopped. No one else should have to die for their greedy purposes!"

"That's what Ed and Al have been fighting for," I told her. "At first, they were only searching for a way to restore their bodies but along the way that changed somewhat. They're not ones for sitting around for injustice and I'm not either. That's why we're going to fight them and make sure no more people get hurt."

I wouldn't go so far as to promise that we'd be able to defeat them and save the country. I couldn't promise that because there was a very real chance that we'd fail. We were only humans after all. We could very well die. But we would try anyway. I was scared. I knew that if I was alone in this the fear would overwhelm me. But with my friends beside me I could find the courage to fight.

Someone knocked on the door and Winry called for them to come in. Ed leaned into the room without actually coming in and asked, "Taylor, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," I shrugged and walked into the hall. He gestured for me to follow him to the guest bedroom and he made sure to close the door behind him. I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what he was up to and why he wanted to talk to me alone all of a sudden.

He scratched the back of his head, "I've been thinking…"

"That's not good," I put in. He frowned at me and I waved my hands and surrendered, "Okay, okay. You were saying?"

He coughed and went on, "Anyway…about tomorrow. I think Al and I should go to Central…without you."

The sense of humor I showed before died. My heart sunk and I felt like the wind was knocked out of me. I couldn't describe how hurt I felt. "But why? You're kidding, right?"

He shook his head solemnly, averting his eyes, "If you stayed here you would be safer. The whole military is looking for you as well as the Homunculi. If you went with us we'd be taking you right to them."

"But I can't just hide here while you guys go face them! And you guys need all the help you can get. Besides, it's not like I haven't fought against them before."

He locked his gaze with mine, wearing the most serious expression. "And how many times did you get hurt? How many times did you barely make it out alive? Taylor, you're not a skilled fighter like Al and I and you're still learning alchemy. You were lucky enough to survive this far and I don't want to risk it anymore than we have to. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to you."

"But what if something happened to you guys instead and you needed me there? I could still help." I tried to defend myself rationally but even to my ears it sounded like I was begging.

"If you were there I'd be constantly worrying about you."

"You wouldn't need to. I can heal myself, remember?"

"That wouldn't exactly matter if you were knocked out. Let's face it, if you weren't taken first then we'd have our hands full worrying about you. So we'd be back to square one anyway."

I gritted my teeth. No, I refused to see his words as reasonable. Didn't he see that I needed to be there? Didn't he know that I couldn't forgive myself either if something happened to them when I could have prevented it? "I'm not some bystander that would be in the way!"

"No, you're not just some bystander. And that's why I can't take you with us." he said in a final tone.

I dug my nails into my palms as I trembled in anger. My eyes prickled, forcing me to look away from him. No, I was not going to cry over this. I was not that weak. I would not cry, damn it!

"Taylor…" his tone softened and he reached out to me.

"No," I said and brushed his hand away. "I…I should go." I stepped around him and hastily left the room. As I retreated down the hall I heard a sound that sounded similar to a fist slamming into a wall.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

I didn't sleep much that night. I had originally been so furious, nearly blinded with my rage. Winry had calmed me somewhat by talking to me but I was still livid. But as we settled down in her room for the night I couldn't rest, tossing and turning for most of the night. My anger transformed into fear as thoughts plagued my mind. What if something really did happen to Ed and Al or someone else? What if things went horribly wrong because my presence here put everything off track. Sure, things seemed to be going in the right direction for now but the train of events could easily derail. I suppose I could see where Ed was coming from. I may just end up getting in the way if I tagged along. Nevertheless, that didn't lessen my yearning to go with them.

Moonlight seeped through the window and with it I could see my necklace clearly, the same necklace that Ed gave me and that I hardly took off. I fingered the smooth black and red cross, the light glinting off its surface ever so slightly. What happened to us fighting together? Ed had promised that we were in this _together_. Not with me sitting on the sidelines. How could I fight alongside them if I was stuck here? And to make matters worse I knew there was nothing I could do or say to change Ed's mind. That look on his face, it told me nothing would make him say yes.

When the sky began to lighten I gave up on sleep and went to take a long hot shower. After I finished I could hear the others beginning to rise for the day. Pretty soon we were all eating breakfast at a near silent table. No one really felt like talking and the atmosphere between us remained tense. Ed didn't even glance at me and I didn't look at him either. I was still kinda pissed off at him and hurt but mostly the worry was eating at me. I guess now I knew how Winry felt when she had to stay behind and they would go off on dangerous missions. How did she not go crazy from it?

Later on that morning, Ed devised a way for him and Al to sneak aboard a train to Central. He hid Al in a large statue and disguised himself in a inconspicuous brown trench coat and shades, along with altering his hair color with alchemy to a greenish, black. Winry braided his hair for him and then we helped get the Al statue out the door. Ed came back inside briefly to put on some stilt boots to make him appear taller and we somehow ended up being the only ones in the room. Ed paused and stared at me and I fidgeted, not sure what to say.

"Told you about the hair," I commented. Then I could have smacked myself. Of all the things to say…

He wore a puzzled expression before he remembered, "Oh yeah, you did tell me that I would end up changing my hair color. Now I know why."

I nodded stiffly. The air between us was awkward and I was having an internal battle. I was still mad but I needed to push away my pride. They were about to leave and I may never see them again. They may _die_ and I didn't want the last significant exchange between us be a stupid fight. So I took a deep breath and strode purposefully over to him. From the look on his face he expected me to hit him long before what I really did.

I wrapped my arms around his back and buried my face in his chest.

"Taylor?" he asked hesitantly.

"Don't die, okay?" I asked in a small voice. If I talked any louder I was afraid he could hear the tears in my voice. "Cause if you do…I'll be really pissed."

He chuckled and enveloped me in a warm hug, "We wouldn't want that now would we, Ginja Ninja?"

I laughed at my nickname and then groaned, "Don't make me laugh. I'm serious."

"And so am I," he answered back gravely. "You won't get rid of me that easily, Taylor. I promise you."

"Good."

We stood there for a minute and I relished every moment. His warmth, his smell, the feeling of comfort and safety he brought, I let it all soak in. And all too soon he was pulling away. His lips brushed my forehead as he whispered, "Take care of yourself."

He went to turn but I stopped him by grabbing the collar of his jacket and smashing our lips together. He seemed rather shocked but quickly fell into the kiss and dominated my mouth. We poured out all of our emotions with actions and it left both of us dizzy, maybe more dizzy for Ed than me because when Winry called to Ed that they were gonna miss the train he broke away with a dazed look.

"Ye-yeah! I'm, uh, I'm c-coming!" he yelled back. His eyes were bright and he had this big goofy grin on his face as he went to stumble out of the room. Instead, he walked right into the wall. I giggled as he floundered around and made it to the doorway.

"Bye," he stammered quickly to me with a red face as he left.

I shook my head and sighed. He could be a big idiot sometimes but I still loved him.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

"Hey Taylor, can you come here for a second?" Winry called for me.

I snapped out of my daze and replied, "Sure." I walked over and held a couple pieces of wire for her that attached to an automail leg she was building.

"You're thinking about them again, aren't you?" she asked me knowingly, her eyes never straying from her work.

"Is it that obvious?"

She smiled, "Well, you've zoned out about a thousand times since they left yesterday so, yeah. It is obvious."

"You can't blame me for worrying. In fact, I'm surprised how calm you've been. How can you stand it?"

"I guess I've gotten used to it," she shrugged. "They go off so much but they always promise to come back and I've never known them to break their promises."

I nodded. I clung to the hope that they would return and in one piece. I would drive myself crazy if I kept thinking about it but…I couldn't help it! All this waiting was getting on my nerves! Grrr!

I heard Winry laugh and I snapped out of my thoughts, "What?"

She shook her head, "Just the look you had when you were thinking."

For a split second I attempted the impossible and tried to look at my face while I was thinking to see what she meant. Then I realized how stupid that was and accepted the fact that I apparently make weird faces when I think.

"Can you get me a screwdriver from the toolbox over there," she pointed across the table. "It should be the one with the blue handle."

"Okay," I nodded and went to grab it. I turned around and couldn't comprehended what happened next. All I saw was a flash of light and I had the feeling of being thrown back. My view of the room became sideways. And why did my body feel numb? What the hell just happened?

I struggled to sit up to see if Winry was alright. My eyes sought out movement and saw her being tossed roughly into a wall. She slid to the floor, out cold. The next thing I knew I was being lifted into the air. A hand gripped my shirt and I traced down the limb to see the face of Fate. My brain was still trying to catch up so I couldn't say anything even if I wanted to.

His voice came to me distantly, "The end is fast approaching and you shall be present for it." He touched my arm and my tattoos began to glow red as I felt the familiar burning sensation flood my veins. I tried to fight it but it was inevitable. I fell into darkness, his expressionless face being the last thing I saw.

* * *

><p><strong>That's...not good.<strong>

**So, it was pretty easy to write this chapter but it's just the beginning of the end. Oh yeah, some major stuff is about to go down.**

**Oh, and thank you to everyone who's reviewed...and to the people who send me and Taylor brownies. XD Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go take a well earned nap.**

**Zzzzzzzzzz**


	52. Chapter 51

**S'up my furry friends? Let me tell you, this chapter was no walk in the park. I had to watch a couple of episodes and keep going back and editing this chapter to make it flow right but I think it finally came out okay.**

**So, I have some news. TBA was stolen yet again by someone who took the story, changed Taylor's name, and posted it on a different website. Someone messaged me about it and I promptly unleashed my wrath upon them! MWHAHAHA! ...or I might have sent them a polite message to please take it down and they did...but it got the job done. This is the second time TBA has been copied, so if you guys see anyone else trying to pass it off as theirs or another one of my stories please tell me and I will be eternally grateful. ;)**

**Last thing I've got to say is that me and Taylor haven't done the interview quite yet. We've tried twice but everytime we try to get to it she ends up having to leave. T_T Don't worry though, we'll try again probably this week and it'll be up soon. In the meantime, keep sending in questions!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 51<strong>

**Come Little Children**

(-Taylor-)

"Ugh," I moaned and rolled over onto my back. I felt so nauseous that I was content to just lay there until it passed…wherever I was laying. Where had Fate dumped me this time? I remembered him attacking Winry and I in the Rockbell's house. He caught me and activated my tattoos. I didn't recall much after that except the vague sensation of traveling in the gate. Yes, it felt just like the last time he sent me through. But where did he send me this time.

I cracked an eye open and, after deciding I wouldn't puke, I opened the other. I was met with the sight of a cloudy sky…and a dog? The dog was looking at me, panting. It whined…um, okay?

I sat up and scanned the area. I was in a park, people hanging out but far enough away not to notice me, except this dog. It was a chocolate lab, just sitting beside me and watching me with concern. I petted his head and smiled. Poor thing was probably confused, wondering how the heck a girl had just popped out of nowhere. Come to think of it, did I just poof here or did the gate appear and spit me out?

I shook my head. This was so not the time to be thinking stupid questions. I needed to find out where the hell I was and figure out how to get back to Resembool. So I glanced around, seeing tall buildings around the park. They kind of reminded me of Central…Hm, I couldn't be…

I ran to the outskirts of the park, the dog jogging behind me. I looked up and down the street until I found what I was looking for: a public map. I examined it and my eyes were immediately drawn to the large building of Central headquarters.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose, "This is not good." The dog whined and rubbed up against my leg to comfort me but it was no use. I could not be comforted because what I saw posted right beside the map was a wanted poster with my picture. I was in Central, right in the middle of the military's prime territory, and I was a wanted criminal. I was royally screwed.

Why did Fate have to send me _here _of all places? What was the point? Well, he did say something about the end coming. Now that I thought about it I could feel that things were going to go down soon. For better or worse, I didn't know.

So what to do? I couldn't take a train back to Resembool. They'd catch me in a heartbeat. And there wasn't any place here in Central where I could hide. My first thought was that maybe Gracia would take me in but she had probably heard the news about 'me' killing Hawkeye. I doubt she would trust me now.

Wait a minute. Who said that I had to run or hide? Ed and Al were either here in Central right now or about to be here and would soon storm Central HQ. All I had to do is scout out HQ and wait for them to show up! And I would be able to help them too and Ed couldn't get mad at me for it! It's not my fault that Fate sent me here and I have nowhere else to go. Besides, he sent me here for a reason so I might as well see exactly what reason that was.

"Alright, it's go time!" I smirked to myself, hands on my hips and ready to face the world.

"Hey, it's that girl from the wanted posters!"

"Aw shit!" I shouted and ran for it. Two armed officers chased after me as I frantically searched for some way to lose them. I definitely couldn't outrun them; they were already gaining on me. I'd have to find a place to hide.

I rounded a corner and ran down an alley only to trip over my own two feet. I landed face first on the concrete and nearly broke my nose.

"OW!" I cried, sitting up and holding my face. I felt someone beside me and flinched. Then I sighed as I realized it was only the chocolate lab. He must have followed me.

"Alright Miss, put your hands up where we can see them," one of the officers commanded, him and his buddy aiming their guns in my direction.

I grimaced, _Not good!_

"_Grrrr_," the dog bared its teeth at the officers. My eyes widened. Was he actually defending me? Awww, he was such a good boy!

"Hey, call off your dog," the other officer ordered nervously.

I shrugged, "He's not mine."

The first one took a step closer and that was enough to provoke the canine over the edge. The dog lunged for him and bit his arm.

"AH! Get 'em off!"

"Hey!" the other one yelled at the dog as he reached to pry him off. I couldn't have any of that, now could I? So I pulled out the wrench Winry had given me and threw it at his face.

"Score!" I cheered as it hit him dead on. He stumbled back and fell, down for the count. The first officer managed to get the dog off his arm and ran away, the dog chasing after him all the way. If I ever saw that dog again I'd have to remember to give him a biscuit.

Now without my pursuers I could initiate my former plan: to find Ed and Al!

_Twenty minutes later…_

"So not fair," I muttered to myself as a group of soldiers escorted me to a cell. Everything had been going smoothly until…well…until I got caught. Turns out there were more soldiers hanging around Central than I would have thought. It didn't take long for one to find me again and then another to join into the chase and then pretty soon a large mob was chasing after me. I tried to use alchemy to escape but it, uh, backfired. And so here I am, in wooden cuffs that prevented me from performing alchemy, walking within the walls of Central HQ and being taken to a cell where they would be keeping me until the Fuhrer was informed.

They led me down a row of cells until they reached mine. Then they pushed me in, locked the door, and walked away.

"Hey!" I called out after them, gripping the bars to my cell. "Don't I even get my one phone call? Hey!"

"I wouldn't bother," someone spoke and I looked around for the voice but couldn't find them. "The people here are assholes."

"I second that," I agreed, still trying to find the voice's owner. Judging from the direction I heard it, it must mean that he was in the cell adjacent to mine. I wondered who it was because it sounded vaguely familiar. I shrugged it off and tried to focus on a way to break out of my cuffs or somehow perform alchemy around them. I strained against the wooden cuffs to no avail, growling at them in frustration.

"So what'd you do to land yourself here?" the guy asked me.

I blew my bangs out of my eyes, "I was born." I glanced up and down the cells but couldn't see anyone else here with us. "Hey, have you seen anyone else being held here? Or is it just you?"

"Nope. Just me and my brother."

I sighed regretfully. I was hoping that Izumi and Sig might be here but I guess not. They must be being held prisoner in a different area of the building.

"Wait," I said as something dawned on me. He said brother… No wonder the voice was familiar! It was Russell and I assumed Fletcher was in there with him. "So, they got you for impersonating Ed, didn't they Russell?"

"I was not! I was just-" he went to defend himself angrily but then paused, "Hey, how do you know that and how do you know my name? Are you some sort of stalker?"

"Yeah, cause I like to stalk people in my spare time," I snorted. "I'm actually a close friend of the Elric brothers."

"Al and Ed?" I heard Fletcher's voice for the first time.

"Yep! And they should be here some time today to bust out a couple of people. That's why I asked if you guys had seen anyone else."

"Think he'd bust us out too?" Russell asked.

"Sure," I said, not mentioning that Ross and Brosch should be by soon to help them anyway. It'd be nice if they got here in time to get me out too, but I didn't think that was possible. It was still a little too early, since the main events happened around the afternoon as the sun was setting if I remembered correctly. The Homunculi would hear of my capture before then and come to get me and Ed and Al would be none the wiser. Unless, I sent them a message.

"Hey Russell."

"Yeah?"

I glanced down the hall to make sure no one was there to overhear. Satisfied, I told him, "Listen to me carefully because I don't have a lot of time. Someone's bound to come get me soon and I need you to get a message to Ed and Al. You brought the paper from your dad's journal, right?"

"Yeah, but how did you-"

"I can't explain right now. Make sure to give it to them and tell them that I'm here in Central. Tell them that Fate sent me here and the Homunculi have me. They'll understand what I mean. Please, I'm counting on you."

"Geez, you sound so serious," he commented. By the sound of his voice he wasn't completely sure what to think of this whole situation. Finally, he sighed, "Alright, I'll tell them."

"But what's your name?" Fletcher asked. "That way we can tell them."

"It's Taylor." But then I thought, what if they questioned if it was even me? It could be Envy leaving a clue to lead them into a trap. So I needed to tell them something that only I would say…hm… "And if they don't believe that it's actually me then give them the codeword: brownies." Okay, so we didn't actually have a codeword but I think they'd get the picture.

They didn't have time to question as the door at the end of the hall opened and a soldier walked down the hall. I had my fingers crossed that it would be Ross and Brosch but no, it was some guy I had never seen before.

The man stopped in front of my cell and unlocked it, "Come with me."

I hesitated, trying to think of a way to escape. It was only one soldier after all. I could maybe make a break for it but in the position I was in I wouldn't get very far. I was bound to be caught again so I might at well just do as I was told until Ed and Al joined the party.

I stepped out, the soldier closing the barred door and leading the way down the hall. There were a few soldiers hanging about and I got some stares but that was the least of my concern. What I was wondering was where everyone was at cause, despite there being a handful of officers here and there weren't near as many soldiers around as I saw on previous visits to Central HQ. And it wasn't late enough in the day for everyone to have gone home.

I received my answer when we walked by a window overlooking the courtyard. I saw rows and rows of soldiers lined up and I swear I saw the Fuhrer down there with them. What the heck was going on? It looked like they were preparing for battle? Oh wait, wasn't the Fuhrer supposed to be sending Mustang's team up to Drachma to fight on the frontlines? I guess that answered my question.

But there was still one thing bugging me. For being accused of attempted murder on the Fuhrer, the murder of a first lieutenant, and possessing strong alchemic abilities they sure were lax with the security. I mean, they sent me into my cell with a whole squad of men guarding me and now they just sent one? This guy must be some badass martial artist or something for them to send him alone.

Or it could be something more obvious.

"Where are you taking me, Envy?" I asked, sighing as if I was bored.

The man glanced over to me and smirked, "What gave me away?"

I shrugged, "I guess your aura of pure evilness tipped me off."

He stifled a laugh, "I'd say you have good instincts but since you've landed yourself here I think not. As for where I'm taking you, you'll see soon enough."

I stiffened. That did not sound like he was taking me to a nice little tea party, unless the tea party was located in a torture chamber. Wherever he was taking me I knew it would end badly for me. As we climbed a set of stairs a horrible twist in my gut told me to run. But run where? I was in the middle of the freaking military headquarters of the entire country! There was no way! If I tried to run I was screwed. If I stayed I was screwed. But I'll be damned if I didn't try!

I discreetly slipped a hand into my pocket and pulled out my wrench(of course I didn't just leave it when I threw it at that guy). As we passed an intersection of hallways I stopped. Hearing my lack of footsteps, Envy looked to me and met a face fool of wrench. Then I ran for my life.

"OW! Get back here you damn brat!"

Did he really think I was gonna stop just because he yelled that? Not a chance! I was getting out of here and that was that!

…or not.

My feet were suddenly kicked out from under me and I fell flat on my back. A sharp pain stabbed in my head as it cracked against the floor. Not giving me a single moment to breathe, Envy pulled me up by my hair and punched me in the gut. I coughed and struggled to take in air properly, making noisy gasping sounds.

"You better be glad I was ordered not to kill you but if you pull another stunt like that I'll find plenty of ways to punish you without killing you," he threatened. He didn't wait for my answer, choosing to sling me over his shoulder like a bag of flour and strode down the hall. Barely a minute went by and I had just got done with my coughing fit when Envy opened a door and tossed me to the floor.

"Ooof," I let out as I tried to sit up straight. The wooden cuffs made my movements awkward.

"So, we finally meet."

I glanced up to where I heard the voice. The first thing I noticed was the giant desk and I pieced together that we were in the Fuhrer's office. Next, I saw the woman sitting behind the desk.

"Dante," I breathed, just audible enough to be caught by her ears.

She nodded and gazed at me with dark eyes, eyes that once belonged to Lyra. Now the body had a new owner and I assumed that underneath her dress she was rotting. I never gave it much thought when I watched the show but Dante was scary as hell. Seeing her first hand and being under the scrutiny of her cold, calculating stare was unnerving and chilled me to the bone.

"Lust informed me of you, that is, before her demise. You seem to not only be a suitable sacrifice but you also know about us. And there's your previous performances to take into consideration."

As she talked, she stood and walked around the desk. Her movements remained fluid as she neared me and kneeled before me. My body tensed, my hands were shaking, and I couldn't move. A cold sweat dewed on my skin and my heart was pounding. I knew I needed to get away from her but I was frozen like a deer in the headlights.

She gracefully smirked, "You've shown very powerful alchemy, able to regenerate a new pair of arms. Almost like you had a Philosopher's Stone inside you." I couldn't hide my flinch and that encouraged her to believe that she was on the right trail. "And the arrays on your body hold a connection to the gate itself. I shall make great use of you."

I was still frozen when she touched my skin where my tattoos ringed around my wrists. From there, the arrays turned a dark blood red color. It was different than those other times my tattoos were activated and not just the color. The fire that pulsed through me was different, like cold flames that lapped at my skin and burned me with frostbite. The freezing flames licked up my body and centered in my head where a pressure continued to build until I was afraid I would burst. I could barely think around it, let alone command my body to fight against Dante.

Then something unusual happened. I heard a distant echoing somewhere far off, almost like someone was singing. It took me a minute to discern that the singing was coming from somewhere within my mind. I couldn't make out any of the words but the song was pressing into my consciousness so much that I began to lose my senses. One by one they faded and I was left alone within the darkness of my mind.

* * *

><p>(-Dante-)<p>

She watched as the girl's eyes dulled, taking on a blank expression. Now that her soul had been pushed back the girl's body was Dante's to control. The thought made her smile.

"What will you do with her now?" Envy asked with mild curiosity.

Dante rose, taking Taylor's hand and pulling it gently to get her to stand as well. "I will have her answer all of my questions and if she truly possesses a Philosopher's Stone within her I will use that to gain a new body."

"Hers?"

Dante shook her head, "Although she is rather young and pretty I think not. A transmutation such as that will probably use the girl as well. I will not take the risk of transferring my soul to her body. I'll find someone else to use soon." She accessed the secret elevator and beckoned for Taylor to follow her. The girl did willingly and they stepped into the elevator. Before the doors closed, Dante told Envy, "Make sure everything goes according to plan and send Pride to me when he's finished."

* * *

><p>(-Fate-)<p>

He watched from the shadows, being the eyes of Truth. For the most part, his role in this game was over as it was coming to a close. The girl had been bewitched by Dante's alchemy and it was now up to her to break it in time to win the game. Fate witnessed the coming of Hohenheim, how he quarreled with Dante, and how she sent him through the gate and still the girl remained in her daze. The homunculus Envy came and became infuriated with his master and was subdued by the homunculus Pride. Still, the girl was not fazed. This assured Fate's doubts even more that she would lose. It did not seem possible that she would be able to break the alchemic spell even when the rest of the game pieces were to arrive. But however certain the outcome, fate was a capricious thing if one had a will strong enough to change it.

So Fate waited patiently for the grand finale that was soon to come.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

They ran down the halls of Central headquarters, swarms of officers yelling, chasing, and blocking their paths. But with the most recent squadron of troops dispatched to the battle raging with Drachma at the country's border there weren't near enough here to prevent the Fullmetal Alchemist and his armored brother from storming the building and producing a trail of chaos in their wake.

"Coming through!" Ed shouted as he slapped his hands to the ground, creating a cannon pointed straight at the oncoming officers. The soldiers screamed like girls and ran the other way as Ed fired the cannon.

With the way clear, they continued on to the section of the building used for prisoner containment. There were cells located on two floors and the brothers quickly went to search the first floor cells in hopes that their teacher and her husband would be there.

Knocking out a couple of guards, Ed and Al ran into the hall lined by halls.

"Teacher! Sig! You there?" Ed called as they raced down the hall while looking in cells.

"Edward?" a female voice called out.

Ed and Al tracked down the voice and found their teacher behind bars, wooden cuffs on her wrists and a surprised expression on her face. Sig stood in the cell parallel to hers and looked just as wide eyed.

"We came to get you out," Al told them as Ed used alchemy to open the cell doors as well as remove Izumi's cuffs.

Izumi's eyes went dark as she punched each brother in the head, "YOU IDIOTS! What possessed you to do a stupid thing like that? I told you to run so that you would all be safe! Not to come right to the military dogs!"

"Ow! We weren't just gonna leave you guys here!" Ed complained. "Besides, we'll need your help with something."

Izumi looked at the boys, then glanced to her husband. They shared a conversation with their eyes before she turned back to them, "Tell me more."

So the brothers explained their horrid findings, that the ruler of the country was a homunculus himself and that the wars were all for their master's want of creating a Philosopher's Stone. Izumi was outright appalled while Sig wore a grim expression.

"And you're here to eliminate the Fuhrer," Izumi stated.

"Not only that but we have to figure out who they're working for," Al told her.

Ed sighed, "If only we had asked Taylor before we left her in Resembool."

"If she had wanted you to know she would have told you. I have a feeling that she intended that you find out on your own," Izumi said. "Now let's go pay the leader of Amestris a little visit."

_Ten minutes later…_

Izumi's hand smashed into a soldier's face as she shook her head angrily, "You need to think things through more often, Ed."

Ed's foot slammed into a guy's chest as he retorted, "Oh, shut up! How was I suppose to know that Bradley was going to go home early for his kid's birthday?"

"We need to go," Al told them anxiously as he and Sig protected the rear. "There are more coming this way."

"Right. Come on," Izumi nodded as she and Ed led the way down a hall. They were full out running when Ed barely had a second to register a green glow emitted from the wall beside them before the structure opened and vines pulled all four of them in. Ed yelped as he was dragged and jumped up in a defensive stance as soon as the vines retreated. He turned to see the wall close as two familiar faces used alchemy to hide them all from view.

"Hey, it's you! The imposters!" Ed said, amazed to see them here.

"We have names you know!" Russell yelled back, annoyed.

"What are you guys doing here?" Al asked them while Izumi and Sig watched from the sidelines.

Fletcher pointed behind them, "We were arrested but they let us out."

Ed and Al twisted around to find officers Brosch and Ross.

"We heard that the Elric brothers had been captured and was ordered to be executed," Brosch explained.

"It was extreme so we went to the cells only to find these two," Ross gestured towards the Tringhams. "We couldn't just leave them there so we helped them out. But Ed, can you tell us what's going on? Everyone's saying that you're fugitives."

Izumi gave Ed a look, "Are you sure they can be trusted?"

Ed glanced back and forth between the two soldiers in question and saw nothing more than curiosity and honest concern. He knew from experience that they were good people. So Ed nodded to his teacher. Then he spoke to Ross and Brosch, "Long story short, there's more corruption within the military than you'd think possible. A group known as the Homunculi have been pulling the strings of each war in hopes of creating a Philosopher's Stone."

Both sets of eyes widened. They had learned true ingredients of forming a stone around the same time the boys had and were appalled.

"Who…?" Ross trailed off questioningly.

"The Fuhrer. He's with the Homunculi and helped set Taylor up for Lieutenant Hawkeye's murder. They made it look like Taylor killed her so the whole military would come after her and us."

Brosch looked near tears as he clutched at his head in panic, "This is bad! Very, very bad! Just what are we supposed to do? We're up against the Fuhrer now? I knew I should have picked another job."

"Brother," Fletcher tugged at Russell's arm pointedly.

"Right," he nodded and looked to Ed and Al. "I have a message for you from Taylor."

"What?" both boys exclaimed. How the hell did they know Taylor?

"She was put in the cell next to ours right after we were arrested but someone came shortly after and escorted her out. She said to tell you that she was here in Central, that Fate brought her, and that the Homunculi have her. Whatever that means."

"Brother, we can't know for sure if it was really Taylor. It's probably a trap," Al told him warily.

"She said you might say something like that so she gave us a codeword to let you know it was really her," Fletcher smiled. "She said it was 'brownies'."

Ed face palmed, "That's her alright." With all joking aside, anger flooded hot through Ed's system. Anger that Taylor might be hurt. Anger that Taylor was with the enemy at that very moment. And anger that his plan to leave Taylor behind for her own safety had backfired miserably.

"Damn it," Ed breathed hotly. "This is my fault. If I hadn't have left her behind I could have protected her. But I wasn't there when she needed me."

"Now's not the time for blame," Sig said in his gruff voice, speaking up for once.

Izumi nodded in agreement, "We've got to find where the remaining Homunculi are and find Taylor before anything happens to her."

"I think I might can help you with that," Russell smirked, pulling out a slip of paper. He handed it to Ed, "It's an excerpt from our dad's journal explaining when he learned how to create red water."

Ed skimmed over the words, Al doing the same beside them. Their father had come to Central and gotten involved with laboratory five and soon after he met a gifted alchemist. Soon, this man told him how to create red water into the Philosopher's Stone and led him to what was referred to by insiders as the true laboratory.

"Teacher!" Ed gasped and Izumi hurried over to read over his shoulder. Her eyes narrowed at what she read.

Suddenly, a wall exploded.

"Looks like they found us," Al said.

As the dust began to calm, in walked Lieutenant Colonel Archer flanked by numerous armed soldiers.

"Nice to see you again, Fullmetal," Archer smirked and order his men to fire.

Everyone ducked as Izumi and Ed quickly made barriers to deflect the bullets.

"Ed, Al," Izumi called for their attention. "Go to the place mentioned in that journal. I'll handle these guys."

"Right!" they nodded in unison and ran out a door on the opposite side of the room. They could faintly hear the other set of brothers being ordered by Ross to leave as well.

With so much havoc Izumi was creating, Ed and Al easily slipped out of the building and made it over the stone wall surrounding the building just as the sun was beginning to set. As they landed, Ed spotted a car that halted with their abrupt appearance and slammed his hands down on the hood, "Hey! We need to borrow your car."

"Brother! It's Mustang!" Al said, noticing right before Ed comprehended that it was indeed Mustang behind the wheel. All three of them looked at each other in shock.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

Mustang gave the brothers a ride as far as he could take them. They told him what was going on with them and Mustang in exchange explained that he was on his way to the Fuhrer's mansion. Al spoke his concern for the man, saying that it was dangerous to go in alone. But Mustang gained a dark gleam in his eyes and said that this was something he had to do on his own. Al backed down but still wanted to say more. Ed was concerned too but he understood and knew that the man could take care of himself. He wasn't the Flame Alchemist for nothing.

Ed wondered aloud if the Fuhrer would be expecting this and Mustang shook his head, saying that Bradley believed him to be up north with the rest of his team. At least he had surprise on his side, if Bradley hadn't suspected Mustang's ruse that is.

Soon, Mustang had taken them as far as he could and they were forced to part ways. Ed and Al hurried to the location mentioned in the journal: an old massive church. The boys entered to find the Tringhams waiting for them.

"Took you long enough," Russell scoffed.

"So this is the place," Al commented, looking around him with interest.

"I guess now we'll find out if what was mentioned in that letter is true," Ed said and clapped his hands. He touched the wall at the head of the church and created an entrance. He noted the stairs inside leading downward and saw that the journal indeed had some merit.

The Elrics went to enter but Ed stopped as the Tringhams made to follow.

"We can't let you come with us," Ed told them.

"By why?" Fletcher asked. "If your friend is down there then we can use our alchemy to help you rescue her."

"We wouldn't want you guys to get hurt. The Homunculi aren't exactly people you want to mess with," Al said.

"And we'll get her out of there, alive," Ed added. Then they turned to go down the stairs.

"One more thing," Russell called to him. "I didn't tell you all of this just so you can create a Philosopher's Stone."

Ed and Al exchanged a look.

"Don't worry," Al said.

"That's the last thing we'd ever plan on doing. Not anymore," Ed finished for them. They descended down the steps, this time without any interruptions. But they did hear Russell call down to them one last shout.

"Just come back alive!" he yelled to them.

They descended the steps and at the end of the tunnel they found a grand cavern filled with looming buildings: the underground city. A city that once stood where Central did today that was rumored to have disappeared in a single night. Those rumors were apparently true.

"They were all sacrificed for the Philosopher's Stone," Al said morosely.

Ed nodded, looking sick, "And they covered up any evidence of it too. Using alchemy they buried the whole city, leaving only rumors behind to fuel people's desire for the stone…only monsters could come up with something so horrific."

They stood there for a few moments. Then Al turned to his brother, "We should be going. Taylor's waiting for us."

Ed turned his gaze away from the city and together they began the long trip to the center of the city. There, stood a large mansion apart from the rest. Inside, music drifted out. That was a sign they had the right place. So they approached the double doors, each of them gripping a handle. They glanced to one another, braced themselves, and opened the doors.

* * *

><p><strong>If you're wondering why I named the chapter 'Come Little Children' it's because I imagined that the song that Taylor heard in her mind was Dante singing that song. It just fit.<strong>

**So I'm not exactly sure if I'll be able to update next weekend. I'll be away for a few days this week for freshman orientation at the college I will be attending. For those of you who are curious I will be taking Journalism. And I'm also going to try to work in the interview with Taylor sometime this week so I may not get the chapter done in time so check my profile around next weekend to see if I'm not. But I'll try my best!**


	53. Chapter 52

**Surprise! I updated early! I know I said I'd probably be too busy to write with freshman orientation but things didn't go as planned. Wednesday, we were barely an hour into orientation. My group was touring the campus and we were just walking along and the next thing I know people were helping me off of the ground. Apparently, I blacked out and face planted into the concrete. They took me to the hospital, pumped me full of fluids, and sent me home. So yeah, my first college experience was a bust. You guys should see my face, it looks like I got mugged or something. Anyway, I was fine after a good night's sleep and I spent all of yesterday writing this chapter. Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 52<strong>

**The Final Battle**

(-Dante-)

She stood in the large ballroom with Taylor by her side, the girl completely unaware of anything around her. Shortly after learning all of the girl's secrets, Envy had come earlier to warn Dante of the Elrics' approach and she decided that tonight she would be rid of them once and for all. They had caused too much trouble for her in the past and had outlived their usefulness, not to mention they were the sons of Hohenheim. She would make certain that they could not prevent her plans of using Taylor's inner stone.

The front doors opened and in walked Edward and Alphonse. They immediately saw the two women standing side by side.

"Lyra?" Al gasped in confusion. "What are you doing here?"

Dante smirked. Despite this girl knowing the truth behind the Homunculi's true master these boys did not. Now it did not matter if they knew or not, for they would never leave here alive.

"Taylor!" Ed called for her, alarmed to see the arrays on her body glowing a deep red color. The girl didn't even twitch as she stared off into space.

"I'm afraid she won't answer you. She's too far under my control," Dante told them in amusement.

Ed narrowed his eyes at her, "What did you do to her, Lyra? What's your part in all of this? Are you working with the Homunculi?"

She laughed at that, "How silly. They work for me. And as for Lyra, she no longer inhabits this body."

"But that's….just who are you?" Al asked, just as confused as Ed.

She smiled, "I can see how it may be hard for you to recognize me, seeing as how the last time I saw you in Dublith I wore a wrinkled face."

Ed hesitated for a moment, not wanting to believe it, but asked, "Dante?"

"Very good of you Edward."

"How is that even possible?" Al asked.

Ed's mouth set in a grim line, "I see now. Greed didn't kill you. You simply used a stone to transfer your soul to another body, Lyra's body. Just how long have you been doing this?"

"Give or take four hundred years, using a Philosopher's Stone whenever I needed a new body."

"So you murdered countless lives just for that?"

"Why would you do such a thing?" Al asked.

"Because I was worth it," she told them. Then she turned to the girl beside her and caressed her cheek, "But I no longer need to look for the stone because I've already found one in her."

"_Don't you touch her_!" Ed seethed. "Taylor! Get away from her!"

"She can't hear you either," Dante told him. "She's but a puppet on a string and I am her master." She reached down and within the blink of an eye she slit Taylor's palm. A thin cut appeared and blood began to seep from her hand. "And with the power of her stone I can use her to handle the two of you."

"I don't think so!" Edward shouted, clapping his hands and sending a massive hand in Dante's direction. But it was too late. Dante had already activated the stone's power and the girl's tattoos began to glow with renewed vigor. The blood red glow seeped into her eyes as she raised a hand to disintegrate the wave of earth created by Ed with ease.

Dante smirked and ordered the girl, "Kill them."

Taylor did not hesitate and used the stone's power to create two blades. Ed's eyes widened as she lunged for him, intent on obeying her master's command.

* * *

><p>(-Ed-)<p>

_This can't be happening…_

"Stop!" Edward yelled, shielding his body with his automail arm. Taylor sunk her blades into it, the friction causing sparks. Her eyes never made contact with his. They shone with a tainted light and she seemed unaffected by her actions.

"Brother!" Al shouted, overcoming his shock to move in and intercept Taylor's next attack. It gave Ed enough time to stumble back and catch his bearings. He watched Al defend himself against Taylor's fierce strikes.

_What the hell is going on…?_

Ed's heart raced at the sight of two of the people he cared most about going at each other, one simply shielding himself and the other aiming to kill. There was nothing in her of the girl he knew. Taylor had never possessed such fighting skills as she displayed now.

"Snap out of it! Please! I don't want to fight you! It's me, Al!"

But the boy's pleas fell on deaf ears as she continued her graceful swings, her accurate kicks, and had Al flailing about as he struggled to keep up with her swift agility. If Ed didn't do something Al would soon be in pieces.

_Why her…?_

How could he fight _her_? He could never hurt her, even as she was now. This was _Taylor_. He had to reach her somehow! He had to save her! He had promised to protect her so he had to focus and figure out how to stop this!

Ed looked away from the fight to see Dante standing calmly across the ballroom. As if sensing his gaze, she turned to stare at him.

"What will you do now, Edward?" she smirked.

_I can't lose her…_

His body tensed with fury. She had planned to have them die by the hands of their friend. It sickened him and enraged him until he was nearly seeing red. His hands ached to take out his anger on the woman in front of him. Dante had said it herself, she was the one controlling Taylor. If he removed her then Taylor would be free. So he clapped his hands and transmuted a blade onto his automail arm.

"I won't let you have her!" Ed snarled as he raced towards the woman. He reared his arm back, ready to hit his mark. With only a yard between them a figure flipped over him and blocked his blow. Ed gasped, seeing that his blade was inches from slicing into Taylor's neck.

Ed jumped back away from her, only to have Taylor follow him. She swung, he dodged. She pivoted towards him, he maneuvered away. And so went the deadly dance.

_Please…_

"Wake up!" Ed screamed and still her face showed no recognition. Ed knew that somewhere inside her was the girl he had grown to care for so much. She was right there but damn it, he couldn't reach her!

Al tried his luck going after Dante next while Ed kept Taylor busy. Again, the possessed girl sensed it and moved to protect Dante. Al went back to the defensive and Ed joined in as they tried in vain to contain her. All they could do was block her blows as they refused to hurt her.

Ed caught one of Taylor's wrists and intercepted the other's blade. With her restrained for the moment, he cried, "Al!"

"Right!" Al responded and drew an array onto the floor within seconds. The tile rose, covered in blue sparks, to encase Taylor. Just as it appeared that it had worked, red sparks crackled around Taylor's body and blew away all that was around her. The brothers were pushed back in opposite directions.

Ed lifted himself off the ground, swiping at his bloodied lip. He glanced across the room to see Al picking himself up as well. Their gazes met and they nodded in complete understanding. At the same time, they charged Dante from both sides. Taylor snapped her head back and forth between them, unsure of which one to go after. With a moment's uncertainty, Taylor unleashed the full extent of her stone.

The building shook as from all directions pillars were formed, air was blown in harsh gusts, and ice exploded in the atmosphere itself to pelt lethal shards towards the brothers. Al was trapped under a beam that fell from the ceiling. Ed shielded himself by transmuting a wall to stop the ice but a pillar from the wall knocked him out into the open. He landed hard on the ground and rolled out of the way from a large icicle thrown towards him and embedded itself in the floor instead. Ed flipped backwards and nearly lost his balance when something else was thrown at him.

"Taylor!" Ed screamed as he fought his way through the chaos towards her as she stood in front of Dante. "You have to fight this! You can't let her control you-" He was cut off as he was knocked off his feet. He didn't even know what had knocked him down but he struggled until he was finally upright again. He couldn't give up now!

_Come back to me…_

Fighting through the gusting wind, Edward called to her, "I know you're in there somewhere! You're strong! Don't let her use you!"

More shards of ice pelted him. Some struck deeper than others and yet, he pushed forward. She was steps away and he wasn't about to back down now.

When he closed in on her she lifted one of her weapons to attack him. Ed ducked and knocked it out of her hand. Without pausing, he clapped his hands and touched the other blade, deconstructing it into sand. Taylor jumped up to kick him and Ed blocked her, knocking her off balance in the process. She staggered and Ed rushed in to grab her wrists and stand before her.

Staring fiercely into her reddened eyes, he told her, "Taylor, you have to wake up! Look at who you're fighting! It's me, Ed! Come back to me Taylor!"

She stopped for a moment and it seemed the havoc she was unleashing died down as well. Then her hand sparked red as she broke his hold and stabbed a frozen spear of her own blood straight through Ed's chest.

Time stood frozen. He glanced down. His eyes were wide and unseeing. He couldn't process what had just happened. He couldn't _believe_ it.

Then the protrusion was pulled from his body and a torrent of blood bathed the floor. Ed choked and coughed, almost falling. He couldn't breath. His vision was blurred. He stumbled forwards and grabbed onto Taylor's shoulders. She stood there impassively and waited for him to fall. His legs trembled and he slowly sank to the floor, his hands still clutching at her. He tightened his grip and wouldn't let go. Taylor removed one hand and raised the other that fisted both her shirt and necklace. She tugged at it to make him let go, snapping the chain of the necklace and Ed's last hold.

He sank to his knees. His sight blurred. The pain…

_No…_

He fell onto his back. He couldn't breath. The taste of copper filled his mouth. The puddle of liquid continued to grow as his life seeped out of him. Darkness edged around his vision. He looked up to Taylor. She stood there, watching him.

"Taylor," he called out weakly, raising his right hand. The necklace's chain was caught in the automail fingers and the flamel symbol clinked against the metal.

Then his eyelids fluttered shut as he shuddered his last breath.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

Her eyes caught the gleam of the red and black cross as the arm fell to the ground. She leaned down and plucked the object from the still hand. She brought it to her face and examined it, watching as the light glittered across the smooth surface and the liquid marring the cross. The red blood blended with the necklace. The blood…the blood…his blood…

She looked past the necklace to the body on the ground. No movement. Still as the dead…surrounded by his life's blood…his blood…Edward's blood…_Ed's_ blood…

The red glow from her arrays flickered as she frowned down at the body, perplexed. The body…his body…his dead body…Ed's dead body…Ed's dead body…Ed's dead…Ed's dead…_Ed's dead_…!

"Ed?" I gasped as I blinked in bewilderment. First I saw the bloodied necklace I was holding. Then I saw Edward's prone form lying on the ground. That was all it took for it all to come flashing back to me.

"_Ed!_" I let the necklace slide through my fingers and dropped to my knees beside him. I grabbed his shoulders and shook gently, yet desperately. "Ed! Edward! Come on! No, no, no, no. _Please, no!_"

But his eyes were dull and unblinking. His chest never rose to breathe. His skin's warmth was fading. The hole in his chest had killed him. _I _had killed him.

"No, please wake up! I'm sorry. _I'm so sorry Ed!_ Please, I'm sorry," I sobbed, hovering over him. He couldn't die. Not like this! I couldn't let him go!

I pressed my hand down on his wound, drops of my blood from the shallow cut there mingling with his. I closed my eyes against the tears and willed him to heal. The stone was enough to save Hughes. I could save Ed too. I had to!

Heat raced from my hand and into his body as the stone's power stitched together the torn flesh. I opened my eyes to see the last bits close, the only thing to show he had been injured being the rip in his shirt. I glanced up to his face but his eyes were still glazed. My last bit of hope sank. Why didn't it work? What did I do wrong? Was I too late?

I shook my head as a new onslaught of grieve pounded into my heart. I pulled him towards me and placed my forehead against his limp golden hair. "Please don't leave me," I begged brokenly, rocking back and forth. "I need you…please don't go…please…I'm sorry."

As I whispered to him my mind raced with questions. Why hadn't the stone been enough? It should be _more _than enough. It had brought me back after all. I had received the same injury Ed had and the stone had worked to bring me back. I had _died_ and it had saved me. I had always wondered about that though. Whenever I was hurt and passed out my body subconsciously healed me every time. If I had died then I couldn't have possibly activated the stone myself. Ed had told me he had held me when I had died. It must have been him that had activated my stone. He wouldn't have even realized it, so covered in my blood as I was. I knew from experience that the stone reacted to the users will instantaneously. Ed must have wanted to bring me back and did so. But then I was doing that same thing now and it hadn't worked! Why hadn't it worked?

As I thought around the emotional pain, I wondered what Ed had done differently. What had he _wanted_ that was enough to bring me back. He had wanted me more than just healed. He wanted _me_, my soul to come back. I had to focus on more than just his body. His soul should be at the gate right now. If I could specifically call it back to his body then I could save him!

With a newfound determination, I set Ed softly back down. "I'll bring your soul back. I promise," I said as I clapped my hands and used the iron from the blood around us to fashion a knife. The cut in my palm had closed and I needed to cut it once again. I didn't even hesitate to slice at the skin.

Before I could make the cut, my wrist was caught by none other than Envy. He raised me effortlessly into the air, took the knife from me, and threw me away from Ed. I thudded across the ground and took a moment to sit up. I scanned the room around me and for the first time became aware of my surroundings. Through all the agony I had been unable to hear Al's wails and Envy's approach. And Dante had stood in the same place. Where as before she had been smirking now she seethed with anger, glaring at me. But she became distracted by Envy.

"He was mine to kill! _Mine!_" Envy barked at the woman as he gestured to Ed's body. "You promised me!"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "There is still one more for you to dispose of. With the girl breaking my alchemy she won't be a problem in that regard. However, it is a problem for me."

Envy would have yelled more but Gluttony was suddenly tossed into the room…well, half of him. I nearly puked, seeing that his lower half looked like it had been chopped off. His legs began to regenerate as he crawled towards Dante.

"Master! He's here!" Gluttony cried to her, glancing back behind him in fear.

"You again!" Envy shouted as a figure entered the room. "You're just asking to be killed, aren't you? I still haven't paid you back for what you did last time we met."

Like always, Fate's expression was blank as he surveyed the damage. His eyes skimmed over each and every one of us, landing on me last. He gazed at me coldly and spoke to me, "You have lost." He began walking towards me purposefully.

I tightened my fist, "Not yet! I can still save him!"

"Taylor! Run! Get out of here!" Al yelled at me, still trapped where he was. But I would not listen. I would not leave them here, not with Al trapped and Ed waiting to be revived. I would not runaway when there was still a chance!

"The girl is mine. I won't let you take her," Dante narrowed her eyes at Fate. His eyes never strayed to her. He just continued to make his way towards me. "Envy. Gluttony."

Both of them moved to stop him. I didn't linger to watch how Fate responded. I turned from them and ran towards Ed. My vision focused on him. All I could see was him and my need to bring him back. I was almost there when both of my wrists were grabbed, forcing me to come to a halt. One wrist was held by Dante and the other by Fate. They both activated my tattoos simultaneously and the battle began. Both the scalding fire and freezing flames fought each other for dominance and I was left fighting with all of my soul against the two invading presences. I pulled at their grips but they remained clinging to me. However, I managed to pull them closer and inch by inch I closed the distance. Then finally, I closed the last inch and brought my hands together. A whirlwind surrounded me and the brightest light I'd ever known engulfed me entirely.

* * *

><p>(-Izumi-)<p>

"Thanks for the backup," Izumi said to Brosch as Sig helped her to a seat to regain her strength. Both her and her husband had been holding off Archer and her men when Ross and Brosch had come back to help them with other soldiers to ward off the others. Archer finally gave up and fled and now things were temporarily peaceful.

"No problem," Brosch nodded, smiling as Ross directed the other officers.

Suddenly, the building shook fiercely. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around wildly.

"An earthquake?" Ross asked aloud.

Izumi stood back up, Sig standing protectively by her side. He glanced down to her questioningly.

"I don't think this is an ordinary earthquake," she said. Izumi nearly lost her footing when the building trembled violently. From out the windows a bright flash of red light shone, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.

As Izumi looked away from the intense light she sensed that this had something to do with Edward and Alphonse. She feared that they were too late.

* * *

><p>(-Mustang-)<p>

He stumbled out the front door, the house behind him crackling and dying as flames ate its structure. Mustang made it as far as the front yard. There, he collapsed onto the ground. In his arms he clutched the dead body of Selim Bradley. He knew it had been a foolish effort, but he had saved the boy from the fire…even though he couldn't save him from his 'father'.

Mustang lowered the boy onto the grass and stared at him for the longest time. He had nearly died himself in there, fighting the homunculus known as Pride. If it hadn't of been for Selim's unknowing help he would have perished. As it was, he had lost a lot of blood and was fighting to stay awake.

A vague rumble vibrated underneath him as the earth seemed to shake faintly. Puzzled, Mustang glanced up and around him. A couple miles away in the direction of Central command, he was shocked to see a bright redness light the night sky.

"Fullmetal," he muttered under his breath. His instincts screamed at him that those kids were there, that something had gone wrong, and that they needed help. But he had reached his limits. He had done his part and, as he slipped into unconsciousness, he could only pray that the others were strong enough to make it out alive.

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

The disorientation lasted for several minutes. Even after I opened my eyes I still couldn't comprehend where I was, what was happening. I looked around and only saw dark blurs. I moved on my hands and knees, trying to feel out my surroundings. The ground was cold and rocky. I came across a wall and I sat back against it. Next, I felt at my body for injuries. Thankfully, there was none. So all I was left to do was sit there, relax my breathing, and try to rid my mind of the dark haze.

Slowly, my vision adjusted to the low lighting. I craned my head backwards to search for the source of the light. I saw the ceiling, riddled with cracks wide enough to allow moonlight to seep through. I wondered if the building had somehow caved in. That meant the others were probably trapped as well. I needed to find Al. He'd be easier to locate and then together we could hunt for Ed.

I lowered my gaze to see the room around me. Now that I was more focused, I could see things more clearly. It almost looked like I was in a circular cave. In the center was some sort of altar. Confused, I got to my knees to stand. But I froze in the middle of the action. Because when I looked down I noticed the white lines circling and crisscrossing the ground. I recognized them instantly. They were the same arrays that tattooed my body.

With a gasp, I realized I wasn't anywhere near the ballroom. I was in the tunnel where I originally found the Philosopher's Stone in my world. I was back where it all began.

* * *

><p><strong>I have a feeling that there will be a lot of angry reviews for this one. But never fear! There is a method to my madness!<strong>

**So tell me what you think. I had to go about this chapter carefully and I'm still thinking through a couple of kinks for the next couple of chapters. This chapter was kinda different than what I imagined but I like it...I think...eh, just tell me if it sucked or not and I'll be happy. ^_^**


	54. Chapter 53

**So, remember how I told you guys I had to leave my freshman orientation early cause I face planted with some concrete? Anyway, I finally went back to the campus yesterday morning and got signed up for classes! Yay! But then I...got lost. I walked across nearly half of the campus trying to find the car. Ha, I had a Zoro moment. I suppose only the One Piece fans will get that reference.**

**Anywho, I've got some news on the interview. Taylor and I have filmed it and now we're just waiting on her to find the time to edit it all together. I apologize to you guys for taking so long but we'll sincerely try to get it out by next weekend...I really, really hope...**

**Enough of my rambling. On with the chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 53<strong>

**To Win is to Lose**

(-Al-)

Alphonse laid there under piles of rubble, his emotions raging so harshly he could not utter a word. Within minutes he had witnessed not only his brother's death but the disappearance of one of his best friends. He had not lost one but _both_ of them, and that was too much to bear for his soul. His armor shook with suppressed sobs yet he knew tears would never come. All he could do was stare where Edward's body lay prone in a red sea of blood.

"It wasn't supposed to be like this," Al managed to whimper. "Brother…Taylor…what am I supposed to do? What…do I do now that you're both… gone?"

"You wait."

Al paused in his trembling to look to Fate, the only one who remained in the ballroom besides himself. The man did not glance at him at all, almost appearing to ignore him. He stood motionless, barely even breathing as he stared upward. What could he be thinking behind those black, expressionless eyes? Al could not even begin to guess.

"Wait for what?" Al asked in a helpless voice. What was this strange man talking about? Wait to die himself? Everyone else was either already dead or gone. His brother had most certainly passed but he couldn't be sure of the others.

Al had watched everything from the sidelines. He could only stare when Dante and Fate both grabbed hold of Taylor's wrists. Then her tattoos flared from bright to dark as if they couldn't decide what color to be. In a desperate attempt to save herself, Taylor had activated her own tattoos as well. The bright red light enveloped the expanse of the ballroom and Al's inhuman eyes watched in awe as the gate appeared and swallowed them whole. Taylor, Dante, Envy, and Gluttony were all taken into the gate's realm. But as for what happened to them after that, Al did not know. The gate could have destroyed them completely or sent them to the other side. Though, if the latter was true then not all of them could possibly have went through. After all, the gate was notorious for demanding payment. There was no doubt in Al's mind that he would never see some of them again.

"The game has yet to end," Fate's voice stirred Al from his melancholy reverie.

The orbs in Al's helmet brightened as he asked hopefully, "So, does that mean…?!"

"It's all up to the girl now," Fate replied stoically. "She has not lost everything yet…"

* * *

><p>(-Taylor-)<p>

My mind spun. My stomach lurched. My hands shook. My mind thought, _No, it can't be_. But my eyes saw the truth. I wasn't in Amestris anymore. I was back in my own world, far, far away from where I needed to be.

"Send me back!" I called out as if Truth was listening to me. I beat my fists onto the stone ground where the giant transmutation circle was drawn, "Send me back! I won't fail this time! Please, just _send me back_!" I continued to pound my hands into the floor in vain and didn't stop even when my fingers throbbed and bruised. I screamed at the top of my lungs and my throat brought out the most mangled sobs. The sounds I emitted were the cries of someone dying and, in truth, I was dying. My soul was quivering as my grief stabbed me over and over.

The array underneath me remained the same, mocking my pleas. I hated it with such passion. I yearned for it to spark that familiar blue but even when I clapped my hands and slammed my palms onto the lines nothing occurred. No light. No alchemy. No anything. Just nothing…absolutely nothing.

When I had tired myself out completely I slumped forward, curling up into a tiny bundle of agony. I huddled in on myself even tighter, hoping against all hope that it would keep out the pain, but try as I might it descended like heavy rain. I wept and I wept as images barraged my stinging eyes. Images of when I fought Ed and Al. I could remember perfectly that cold intent to kill. I had _wanted _to hurt them and that in itself threatened to make me violently ill. But no, what stayed in my mind clearest and most unbearably of all was when I killed Edward. I had murdered the boy I have learned to love, perhaps the only guy I have ever loved this strongly….and I killed him. These hands of mine killed him even after he had tried so hard to save me. Even if I had accomplished bringing him back he would have hated me forever, as would Al for forcing him to watch his brother die. There was no forgiveness in that.

I stared at my bruised hands in disgust. These bloodstained hands…these _weak _hands. I wasn't strong enough. After everything I had been through I wasn't strong enough to win the game. I had successfully shattered all chances of that myself. And now here I was, lost and alone.

At some point my tears lessened until they stopped completely. I laid there like a lifeless shell as I couldn't tear my gaze away from my hands. The blood…_Edward's_ blood, was dried on them. My eyes blurred again and I frantically wiped at my palms, trying anything to get them clean. It was a pointless endeavor though because I knew even when the stains were gone my hands would forever be bloody.

As I was scratching at a particular rough patch on my wrist my mind seemed to focus for the first time since I broke down. Underneath the blood was inked skin. When I pulled down my sleeve I was met with the rest of my tattoos. That's when I had an epiphany. A glorious, life changing, beautiful epiphany.

The arrays remained on my skin, even after being sent back here. They were the same black patterns but to me they were a sign. Fate had told me at one time, something about the tattoos being a connection to the gate and something like a way for Truth to keep tabs on me. So in theory I was connected to Truth itself. That had to mean something, right?! I wouldn't still have the tattoos if Truth didn't expect me to try something, anything, right? That had to mean that the game wasn't over! Why else would I still have them?

I sat up quickly, wiping the moisture from my cheeks. Now was not the time to be moping. Not when there was still a chance. I hadn't lost everything yet.

With hopeful thoughts racing through my head, I stood and stripped off my soiled long sleeve shirt. That left me in a somewhat cleaner tank top with my arms, shoulders, and collarbone revealed as well as the arrays decorating them.

"Alright, you can do this," I whispered to myself, albeit a bit shakily. I stood solidly, clapped my hands, and placed my palms on my chest.

"…what?" I asked aloud in astonishment. "It's not working. Why isn't it working?! Come on!"

Beyond frustrated, I began pacing around the circular room. My tattoos were a connection to the gate. Fate had said it himself! I had a gut feeling that he hadn't been lying about that. If anything it had been proven to me every time he activated the arrays and sent me traveling to the gate. So why didn't it work? It should have worked!

"Okay, just calm down. Just think…" I breathed in and out. I had to keep my cool, think about this from a different perspective or something. Alchemy didn't work in my world. I already knew that, but something must have bypassed that to enable me to travel through the gate the first time I came here. Truth could have activated the array I was standing on itself but I think it was more than that. Something I did last time that I wasn't doing now.

Let's see, the transmutation circle had been activated last time, yes. Also, my tattoos were the exact same arrays as the ones I stood on. I tried to activate both of them and neither worked. At least things were consistent. So…what made the large array activate the first time?

I closed my eyes and walked through the memory of over two months ago. It seemed so long ago and was difficult to remember but I tried my hardest to recall the events. I had entered the circular room and saw the large array. I had been shocked and couldn't really believe my eyes but I couldn't deny how familiar the circles were. I stepped into the array and to the altar holding the-

My eyes snapped open and I whirled around to view the center of the circle. The altar was still there, however, a key piece was missing. "The Philosopher's Stone," I said breathlessly. I glanced down at myself. The tattoos were still here. It was safe to assume that the stone remained inside of me too! That was what I was missing! The transmutation circle hadn't been activated until _after _I had picked up the stone.

Excitement flooded through me as I scoured the room for a suitable tool. After a couple of minutes I found a sharp enough shard of rock. I practically jogged to the center of the circle and, breathing heavily in anticipation, I pressed the sharp side of the rock to my palm. With a swift jerk I sliced the skin there and hissed as my hand burned in pain. I couldn't help but shake my head and think how the stupid stone had turned me into a cutter.

Ridding myself of useless thoughts, I bent and touched the array on the ground. I could have cried for joy when the runes and lines came to life in a bright red display of sparks. The alchemic energy circulated around the circle and up my arms, lighting my tattoos in the familiar red glow. It felt like fire but I welcomed the burn this time. I closed my eyes and focused all of my being on opening the gate.

I'm not sure how much time passed but a voice spoke to me, informing me that I was no longer alone.

"You are rather persistent I see," a distorted chuckle came to me.

I opened my eyes, pleased for the first time to see Truth's grinning self. I had done it! I was here in Truth's white realm! I was so close to getting back to the boys.

"Please, I need to go back," I told Truth.

"Do a couple of humans mean that much to you?" it asked mockingly.

"They mean _everything_ to me!" I shouted vehemently.

It fell silent for a moment. Then asked me curiously, "What are you willing to give?"

"…give?" I repeated, at a loss.

Truth's grin returned, "Surely you did not think I would grant you passage without something in return. There is a toll you must pay. What are you willing to give?"

I clenched my hands into fists. Damn it, I hadn't thought this far ahead! But what did it matter? This was Ed and Al I was talking about here! I had to do whatever it took to get back to them.

Glaring at Truth, I yelled desperately, "Take anything! I don't care! Just send me back to them!"

Truth smirked at my answer, "Gladly."

I gasped as pain flared through my body. I looked down to see my tattoos flashing from red to black sporadically. What was going on with me?!

"What-ugh! What are you d-doing to me?!" I demanded, falling to my knees.

Truth strolled forward and stood before me. "I'm taking your toll!" it said almost gleefully. I arched backwards with a spasm of pain and when it became too much I screamed bloody murder. The redness in my tattoos seemed to seep out of my skin in liquid drops. Truth held out its hand and the drops were drawn towards it. They solidified into a shiny red stone. When all of the drops had left me, the pain did too and I sagged to the floor in a moment of relief. But that relief was short lived.

"No," I spat out between gritted teeth. "I need that to bring him back! Take something else! I need the stone!"

"It's too late to bargain, silly girl. You received what you wished for."

Then tiny black arms sucked me down a whirlpool of darkness before I could even blink. Unlike other times, I didn't pass out. I stayed conscious and was alert when the gate open and dumped me somewhere.

"Ow," I muttered as I landed on my back.

"Taylor!"

My head snapped up. Al was calling for me from under a pile of rubble, keeping his limbs immobile but the top of him free.

I almost cried just at the sound of his voice, "Alphonse!" I scurried off of the floor and ran over to him. In a bout of happiness I threw my arms around him.

"Taylor! What happened to you? Are you okay? I thought I'd lost both of you!"

I leaned back and stared at him. I was shocked that the first thing he had told me were inquiries about my welfare, not angry yells blaming me for what had happened.

"Taylor? Are you okay?" he repeated in concern.

I shook my head to clear my mind, "I'm fine. As to what happened to me, I was sent through the gate to my world."

"And you came back?" Al wondered, half happy and half surprised.

I wrung my hands, not unlike a guilty gesture, "I had to get back to you guys. You mean everything to me. And…then there's Ed…" I had to stop for a few seconds before continuing. I couldn't even look at him when I spoke, "Al, I was sure that if I came back that I could use my stone to bring Ed back but…Truth…it took my stone as payment for crossing over."

Al had been enthused initially, assuming that now that I was here that I could bring Ed back. Now he visibly wilted and didn't say anything.

I clapped my hands and touched the rubble, relieved to find that I had retained my alchemy. The obstruction was reduced to sand and Al was able to stand upright. I stood as well, touching his arm.

"Al?" I asked, wanting him to say something.

He met my gaze and asked, "So that's it? It's over?"

"Not quite."

Al looked behind me and I spun around to see Fate standing yards away from us. Al took the initiative and stepped in front of me, assuming a defensive stance. It didn't really matter to me because I was so swept away with rage. I stepped around Al and faced him properly.

"Why?" I asked in a low voice. Blood boiling, I lifted my head and demanded in a shout, "_Why_?! Why isn't it over yet?! I've lost everything! Is that not enough?!"

"All is not lost yet."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, "You sound like a bad fortune cookie."

"Taylor!" Al shouted as he tried in vain to jump in front of me to protect me. Fate was faster. He knocked me off my feet and swung Al by his outstretched arm in the opposite direction.

"This is not your fight," Fate admonished him and touched the ground. The floor reached up to encase Al just as he had stood. He struggled against it but couldn't budge an inch.

I rose to my knees and watched as Fate began walking towards me. His arm moved outward to empty air and yellow electricity sprouted around his arm to form the huge broadsword I saw him with most times.

"I may not have the stone's power but I still have my alchemy," I said strongly. I clapped my hands and touched the ground. As Fate dodged my attacks and swung his sword, and as I dodged his strikes frantically, and as Al called after me I thought. I thought about how this must be what Fate meant when he said it wasn't over. I assumed that meant the only way to win the game was to beat Fate himself. But that was an impossible feat. I could barely stand against the Homunculi and they had been killed ten times over by this guy. As it was, I was desperately just trying to stay alive. I moved mostly unaware of any form of plan, only concentrating on not getting sliced into pieces. A few nicks came close but with the help of my alchemy I managed to stay in one piece.

_This is impossible_, I thought to myself as I rolled out of the way when Fate sunk his sword where my head had been. _There's no way I can win_. I made my inner circle and produced chains from the ground. Fate swiped at them like they were nothing. _And what's the point anymore? I've already lost. Too many stupid mistakes, too many people dead already…like Ed._ _What am I fighting for?_

"Taylor! Behind you!" Al warned.

I ducked and stumbled out of the way as Fate came at me again. He didn't let up, using his legs when his sword had failed to do the job. He kicked me into a pillar and I slid to the floor in a panting heap.

_What's left? What's to fight for when you've lost everything?_

Wiping blood from my forehead, I asked, "Shouldn't I have won this game yet? I thought I had to lose to win. What more do you want from me?!"

"To win you must lose. You've yet to lose it all," he replied solemnly. He pried his sword from the wall it had been embedded in from his last attack. Then he readied his sword and started towards me.

_I've lost the stone. I've lost my family. I've lost my home. I've lost my love. There's nothing left of me to give. And what if there was? There's nothing that I have that can right my wrongs. There's nothing I have that can bring Ed's soul back. There is nothing I have that will give Al his body back. Their happy ending will never come as I'd promised them. And it was all my fault. There's no equivalent exchange that could…_

I gasped as I looked up into Fate's dark eyes. I hadn't even realized that he had lunged towards me, ready to strike. Now, the tip of his blade hovered a mere centimeter from my neck but I didn't care. My eyes had been opened and I could finally see the answer.

Gazing at me knowingly, Fate lowered his sword, "Now that you understand are you willing to accept your fate?"

I didn't answer. Couldn't, really. I sat there, dumbfounded with my revelation and watched as Fate walked over to Al and released him. Al raced over to me but my eyes were drawn to Fate's figure as he slinked into the shadows without a backwards glance.

"Taylor!" Al shook me, panicking.

"I'm alright Al," I assured him. I brushed his hands away from my shoulders and stood as I averted my eyes.

"Why did he just leave like that?" Al questioned.

"Because…I know how to win the game."

"Really? That's great!" he said, trying to be as positive as the situation could allow. But when I walked past him silently he asked, "Uh, Taylor? What's wrong?"

I didn't answer until I had reached my destination. Standing over Ed's cold body, I turned to Al, "I'm going to bring Ed back."

"But you said that you lost the stone. How are you going to do that?" I could tell by his voice that he knew that this conversation was leading somewhere he didn't like. And I wasn't about to prove him wrong.

"To win is to lose. I never understood it before but now I finally see. I haven't really lost everything yet. There's still enough for an equivalent exchange and you two will still get your happy ending." I gave Al a smile like it was all going to be okay.

Realization dawned on him and he shook his head slowly, "No, Taylor. You can't do that!"

Usually I would have gotten mad and snapped back. Not now. Now I was filled with a strange calm in knowing what I was about to do. From the moment I figured out the answer I was resigned to my fate. There had been no questions of if I could do it. This was the last gift I could give them and I would without regrets.

"This is the only way," I said with finality. "The game will end and you and Edward will finally get to live your lives normally. I'm not about to stand in the way of that."

"Why does it have to be you?! You don't have to force yourself to make this decision."

"No one's forcing me Al. I _want _to do this."

"I don't want you to!" he responded stubbornly. "If anyone should it should be _me_!"

"Do you think Ed would honestly be able to live with himself if you sacrificed yourself for him? He _loves_ you Al."

"But he loves you too!"

My breath caught and I had to push down the flutter in my stomach. It would be too painful to relish the feeling, knowing that what I was about to do would forever keep us apart. If I dwelled on what could have been I might just give into Al's pleas. And that was something I could not do.

I turned away from Al, "Be that as it may, I'm still going through with this. It's been my purpose from the very beginning, even if I didn't know it. And I'm okay with that."

I went to bend towards Ed but Al grabbed my arm, "NO! I can't let you do this!"

Although it hurt me to do what I did next it was still necessary. I clapped my arms and touched Al's shoulders. The metal connecting the limbs melted and the arms fell off. Without waiting for him to react I did the same to his legs. He fell to the ground in a broken heap.

"Taylor! What are you doing?!"

"What I have to," I answered simply. "I won't say I'm sorry for what I'm about to do, but I am sorry for all that I've done before to hurt you guys…and I'm sorry that I…couldn't stay."

"You can stay! Please, just don't do this! Taylor!" Al begged me.

I kneeled to the floor between the two Elric brothers. "Al, look at me," I spoke gently. He did as I told him and I think he was surprised by the genuine smile that was on my face, "I'm _happy_ right now. When I was sent back to my world I thought I had failed you guys. I thought that there was nothing left I could do. But now I know that I can still save you guys. I can give you life and that makes me happier than I've ever been. So please, don't take this away from me."

I could tell that he was struggling internally. He could see and hear my conviction, the truth in my words, but he didn't want to let me go so easily. He cared for me too and didn't want to see me go through with this. But he was in no position to force me to stand down.

"Al, I need you to promise me something. After I give myself in exchange don't attempt to sacrifice yourself to bring me back."

"But I-"

"_Please Al_!" I startled him with such intense emotion in my plea. "There's no talking me out of this. I'm going to do this. There's nothing more that I want than to give you that happy ending I promised. Please…just promise me that you'll live your life happily with Ed. Fall in love, grow old with a house full of cats," I chuckled as the first signs of tears formed in my eyes. "Just don't do anything stupid afterwards, alright? Promise me that Al."

He was wanting to fight it but could still do nothing. He could perform no actions, say no dissuading words. In a last effort to save me he asked, "But what about Brother? He'll try to."

"I don't doubt it," I agreed. "But I'll have you here to stop him. Keep him alive Al. Keep _both_ of you alive…for me…Promise me."

"I…promise," he said reluctantly.

I smiled softly and leaned forward to press my lips against the cool metal of his forehead. "Thank you, Al. You were the best brother I ever had. I love you."

A choked sound came from him, something that could be described as a sob. His armor began to shake and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him to soothe him. But if I gave into the desire then it'd make it that much harder to pull away.

I turned away from him, looking over the elder Elric. His complexion was ghostly, he was covered in blood, and he was horribly cold but to me he was utterly magnificent. As I stared down at him, letting my fingers slide through his golden hair, I thought of happier times. Of when we were at the Rockbell's. Of when we were in Rush Valley and I had chased Ed around while riding on Al's back. Of Valentine's Day. Of when I had that snowball fight that morning with Edward….Of that night when I sang Ed to sleep…that was the same night I finally realized I was falling for him…

"It seems like just yesterday we met," I whispered to myself. "It went by so fast…but the time we spent together was more than I could have asked for…more than I deserve." I leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead. As I pulled away, I cupped his cheek and stared at his face, memorizing it while I could still see it. I smiled, "I love you, Ed. If only I could have told you…"

Then I clapped my hands, touched a hand to both of their bodies, and welcomed the burn my glowing tattoos emitted. A white light engulfed me and then it was over.

I stood in the white expanse and for a brief moment I swore I saw Edward. as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone and I was left to wonder if I had hallucinated him.

"This is the last step. Are you willing to take it?" Truth asked me.

I nodded firmly, "An equivalent exchange: my soul for Ed's soul; my body for Al's body."

"Are you certain?" it inquired.

"Absolutely."

Truth burst into laughter, "You've done it! You've won! Congratulations, you're the first to complete the game!"

"That means you'll return Hughes's soul to his body too, right? I haven't forgotten about that."

Truth nodded, "Right you are. His soul will return to where it belongs, Edward will receive his soul and Alphonse will regain his body. And then this never ending game will at long last come to a close."

My lips tugged in a bitter sweet smile, "It's finally over."

A gate appeared before me and the doors automatically opened. Hundreds of eyes opened as their inky black arms grabbed hold of me and pulled me into their depths.

* * *

><p>(-Fate-)<p>

Fate watched as Truth sent two souls and a body back into their home world. But even when the deed was over the gate's doors did not close.

"It's finally over," he echoed the girl's last words.

Truth turned to the man, "So it is."

Fate looked at his faceless companion and asked, "May I go now?"

"I guess there's no point in keeping you around. You may leave."

The man nodded and stepped into the gate from wince he came.

* * *

><p><strong>Did anyone see that coming? Eh? A lot of you guys had some interesting theories but now you finally know the truth. Man, I am evil. But don't worry my furry friends! There's still more after this! Tune in next weekend for the next chapter of TBA!<strong>


	55. Chapter 54

**Aw, you guys! You've made me absurdly happy with all the reviews you left me! A lot of you said that the last chapter even made you cry! And now I think I'm about to start crying myself cause this is the last chapter. :'( I'll be wrapping it up with an epilogue that I'll post tomorrow but other than that it's done! *sobs***

**Anyway, for this last chapter it's all just 3rd POV so I could get everyone's thoughts on things. Hope you guys like it.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 54<strong>

**Adjusting**

He remembered dying and awaking in the white void. He waited between the gates, feeling empty. He had failed them both by dying. He would never give his brother's body back to him like he promised. Alphonse would have to live the rest of his life in that hollow metal shell. That's if he and Taylor somehow managed to escape with their lives. And Taylor…he had tried but still it wasn't good enough. He couldn't save her either. It was the story of his life; he couldn't even save one girl.

Edward stood in between the two gates, seeing the images of the ones he'd met throughout his life within his mind. So many times he'd say he didn't need help, didn't want friends, could do things on his own. He'd told the lie many times and the people that truly cared had never listened to him. The Hughes family who took him and Al in whenever they were in Central. Mustang, despite his bastard tendencies, had always looked out for him even when he didn't know it. The men and Hawkeye who had somehow become like siblings along the way. Teacher and Sig opening their home to them even when him and Al couldn't give something in return. Granny and Winry always just a phone call away…even when he had made Winry cry…and now she'd be crying again because of him.

Ed looked to the gate that led back to his home world. He swallowed as his heart clenched in regret. "I never got to thank them…or say goodbye…"

He didn't notice the passage of time, whether it was small or large. So wrapped up in his thoughts, he could only think. There was nothing else to do after all. He wondered if this was what death was like for everyone or was this a special punishment for a damned soul such as him? To spend forever trapped here…alone with his anguish and regret… It seemed fitting.

Then his head snapped up when a translucent body flashed before him. It may have only been a second but Edward instantly recognized Taylor's visage. And then just like _that_ she was gone, leaving him to wonder what the hell had just happened.

"Taylor?" he questioned the empty space around him. Of course, he received no answer.

He stared down at his palms to see his own body as transparent as hers had been, like a ghost. Could something have happened to Taylor? Or was this place playing tricks on him? It wasn't enough to be here like this that he had to be taunted with images like that? Or maybe he was just finally going crazy…

"It's finally over," a disembodied voice echoed to him.

"Taylor," Ed whispered. It wasn't a question this time. He knew her voice anywhere and couldn't deny that those words had been spoken by her. But why was he hearing her? And why did she sound close to tears?

"It's over?" Ed questioned softly as everything around him began to slowly fade. And as it did he felt an overwhelming sorrow envelope him…

* * *

><p>"Brother."<p>

Ed lifted his eyelids and laid there for a moment, trying to understand. His hand rested on his stomach, covering the hole in his shirt from the death blow. But there was no injury there. And he was hearing Al's voice? Did that mean he was alive?

_But why am I crying?_ he asked himself as he wiped the tear away.

"Brother? Brother!" Al exclaimed as his face came into view.

Ed's heart stopped cold. His…_face_?

Al's face lit up with a relieved smile, "You're okay."

"Alphonse?" Ed whispered in awe. He lifted his hand up to cup his brother's cheek. The flesh was sunken and pale there but it was _warm_. Al's body had suffered from lack of nutrition and had become little more than a skeleton of his former self, only older. The fourteen-year-old's body was bare, only covered by a light curtain of auburn hair that reached the boy's waist. If he didn't know any better Ed would think he was dead but the light in Al's gray eyes spoke monuments of the soul living inside.

"You're here. You're _real_!" Ed gasped as he sat up and enwrapped his brother in a fierce hug. He wore a big grin on his face and yet, he couldn't stop his eyes from watering again. After so many years, Al was here, in his own body. Really and truly alive. Ed had never seen anything more beautiful or amazing.

"It's so strange," Al spoke, his head resting on Ed's shoulder. "I've forgotten what it's like to feel. And it's so hard to move and breathe…"

Edward smiled even more and leaned back. He ruffled his little brother's hair playfully, relishing the fact that he could actually do such a thing. "That's cause your nothing but bones! Once we fatten you up we'll…Al?" Ed hesitated at Al's expression. It was almost sad and guilty. Then a thought occurred to him, "Al, how exactly did you get your body back? And where's Taylor? What happened to everyone else for that matter?"

Tears welled up in Al's eyes and he averted his gaze, "A lot's happened since you were…gone."

Ed held him by the shoulders and demanded firmly, "Tell me everything."

And so he did. Al explained how Taylor had awoken from her trance after she realized what she had done. Then Fate's sudden appearance and his and Dante's fight over Taylor. And then how Taylor opened the gate and sent all of them through only to return again after sacrificing her Philosopher's Stone. She fought against Fate for a short while until she agreed to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Ed's hands fell away from his shoulders as he stared into space, shocked, "No…it can't be…"

Al swiped at his face, unable to control his emotions in this body, "I'm sorry Brother. I tried to stop her but I couldn't… She traded her soul for yours and her body for mine…"

Ed bowed his head, his bangs covering his face, "…That's why I saw her at the gate. She was there to trade herself for us…" He fell quiet and stared down at his flesh hand. Why would she do such a thing? Was it because she felt she owed it to them? Was it because she blamed herself for his death? Why?

He didn't know he was speaking these questions aloud until Al answered him, "It was because she loved us."

Ed clenched his teeth, lest he give way to his emotions. That was just like Taylor…always completely selfless to the ones she cared about, even to the end. It shouldn't surprise him that she would do something like this, but it did. He was shocked that she wasn't here, that she was gone. Angry, in fact! She was gone and for what? For him?! He wasn't worth it! He wasn't worth _her_!

He tightened his hand into a fist, disgusted with himself. It sickened him every time he took a breath, every time his heart beat because it cost Taylor her life. Her _life_! And Ed just couldn't have that.

"What are you doing?" Al asked him as Ed stood.

"I'm going to bring her back."

Al's eyes widened and he latched onto Ed's leg quite suddenly, "NO! You can't!"

Getting over his surprise at his brother's abrupt reaction, Ed smiled softly to him, "Al, when I was there all I could feel was my regret for leaving you two behind in the state you were in. But now, knowing that you'll be okay, I'll have no regrets. She's probably there at the gate right now. I'm not gonna just leave her there."

"Ed, you can't," Al said, using his brother's name for once. "She made me promise that I wouldn't let you. She doesn't want to be brought back."

Ed blinked rapidly, unsure for a moment on what to make of that. She had known that he would try this? What was he thinking, of course she did! And why shouldn't he?! "I don't care what she wants! Not as long as she's gone!"

Al ignored his shouting and kept up his protesting, "She was happy!"

"…what?" Ed paused in confusion.

"When you died, you didn't see the way she reacted but I did. She was in so much pain and kept begging for you to come back, saying how sorry she was. But when she realized what she could give to us she was happy. She wanted us to live long, happy lives for her."

"But still-"

"Don't you see?!" he interrupted him desperately. His hands clutched at Ed's leg with an unexpected strength. "All she ever wanted was to give us that happy ending she promised. And she lived up to her promise."

"But…it's Taylor," Ed said, his emotions raging inside of him.

"I know and I didn't want her to go either but… I made her a promise too. I promised that we'd live for her. This was her last gift to us…don't waste it."

Ed wasn't sure at all what to do anymore. He sunk back to his knees, gazing into Al's solemn gray eyes with gold lost ones. "…I can't…I can't just let her go…"

"_It wouldn't kill you to ask for help for once. You don't always have to do everything on your own."_

"_You guys are so strong, always holding that weight of the world on your shoulders when it would crush anyone else."_

"_We're friends, right?"_

"_Believe it or not, Al doesn't hate you. You're the person he looks up to most. Lots of people look up to you, Ed."_

"_I'm going to work hard to be as strong as you guys. It might take forever but I'm not going to give up."_

"_The world needs you more than me."_

"_I think of you as some of the closest people in my life. I'd take a bullet for you."_

"_Don't die, okay?"_

"_Just trust me."_

Seeing his internal struggle, Al whispered, "Brother, we have to…and I need you here. I already lost you once…don't make me lose you again."

It felt like someone was taking a sledgehammer to his chest as his heart was pulled in different directions. He couldn't deny that his little brother needed him. But Taylor needed him too, even if she didn't want to come back.

"But she needs me…"

Al swallowed back his tears and, though it hurt for him to say it, say it he did, "I need you more."

"_The world needs you more."_

"_Don't die, okay?"_

Ed kept hearing her voice echoing in the forefront of his mind. As much as he fought against it, both her voice and his brother's was working against him. This was surely the most difficult decision he'd ever been faced with.

"Please Brother…for her."

"_Just trust me."_ Ed could imagine her beside him right then, saying that to him with a pleasant smile gracing her lips as her bright green eyes danced with laughter.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly and leaned his forehead on Al's scrawny shoulder. Al comforted him by resting his hands on Ed's back and keeping him there beside him. Slowly, ever so slowly, Ed's body lost its tenseness and he managed a small shaky sigh of defeat, "Okay…"

Not daring to linger too long, lest he change his mind, Edward tugged Al's arm around his shoulder and helped him stand. Without a second glance back, both of them made their way carefully out of the ballroom and out of the underground city.

* * *

><p>"It's about time you woke up."<p>

As Mustang blinked rapidly to rid the fog of sleep from his eyes, he looked to his company sitting at his bedside. He smirked, "Speak for yourself."

Hughes smiled slyly at him, "Better late then never."

Mustang nodded good naturedly at his best friend. He sighed and sat up in the hospital bed, wary of his aching injuries. His fight with Pride hadn't been pretty but he would surely recover in good time. "How long have I been out? How'd I get here?"

"Nearly a whole day. And some of the neighbors came to see why Bradley's house was on fire and found you unconscious. You're lucky they did or you'd probably have bled to death. What were you thinking going in alone for something so dangerous?"

"Spare me the lecture. Things haven't exactly been easy lately," Mustang replied tiredly.

"So I've heard," Hughes nodded grimly.

Mustang arched a brow, "When did you recover from your coma?"

A ghost of a smile flashed across the other man's face, "About the time you were 's been filling me in on everything, though there's still a lot that I've missed. I haven't even left the hospital yet since I've woken up, what with you and the Elric brothers being here. Gracia's with them right now."

"Ed and Al? What happened to them? Are they okay?" he asked anxiously.

"Whoa, Roy-boy. Relax, they're okay. Ed mostly just needs a good night's rest but he's done little of that because of how much he's stressing over Al. Al's being treated for dehydration and malnourishment but he should be fine."

"You mean…?"

"Yep. Somehow, Al's got his body back. Neither will tell anyone how such a miracle happened. And then there's another mystery…" Hughes eyes darkened, "Taylor's gone missing."

"Missing?" Mustang asked incredulously. "Edward mentioned that the Homunculi's master had taken her and that him and Al were going to save her. What happened?"

Hughes shrugged, "They didn't say much. Just that all of the Homunculi including their Master were dead. I asked about Taylor but they only said that she was gone. They hid their emotions really well but I could see that they were torn about it."

"They're hiding a lot of information. Both Taylor's disappearance and Al's sudden state of body are concerning. Something big went down and I want to know what."

"You're not gonna get anything out of them," he answered honestly. "They're not gonna budge on this, no matter how you go about it. They don't want anyone to know what happened and no amount of coaxing will get them to spill the beans."

"You sound so sure about this," Mustang said doubtfully.

"You didn't see the look in their eyes…it was similar to the ones we had when we got back from Ishval."

That surprised Mustang. Could whatever happened to those boys have haunted them to that extreme? It just made him all the more curious.

Hughes changed the subject and gave him the good news that all of his team members had returned alive from their battle up north. Although there were several casualties in the skirmish and with the sudden disappearance of the Fuhrer and the Amestrian military becoming utterly chaotic, Hughes voiced his optimism. It would take a lot of hard work and time but they could repair the damage the Homunculi had done to this country and, hopefully, they could one day restore the trust of the country's citizens in the military.

Within a week's time Mustang was released from the hospital but with the doctor's firm orders of another week of bed rest before he could return to work and even then he was told to take it easy. Much to the man's chagrin, Hughes forced him to stay at his house with his family during his recovery. Mustang was annoyed at first but came to find himself enjoying his stay and was able to get much accomplished in the way of work through Hughes.

As for Alphonse he was forced to remain in the hospital for a whole month. Ed had called Winry early on in the first week and she and Granny rushed to Central on the first train they could. There were many questions, along with an obscene amount of death threats on Winry's part, but the boys refused to tell them anymore than anyone else about what happened to Taylor. Even when Izumi and Sig visited them in the hospital, not even their terrifying teacher could persuade them to reveal the truth. Soon they stopped questioning the boys about it altogether when they saw how much it upset them. Ed especially would always wear this faraway look in his eyes. Despite this, Mustang constantly hounded them about it. The man would not be deterred by their stubbornness/ However he only succeeded in making Ed more pissed off than usual and Al more somber than ever.

The first two weeks of Al's recovery were shaky due to his weak immune system but he persevered. When he was finally allowed to go from a liquid diet to solid foods he was ecstatic and the first thing he asked for was some apple pie. During that first month it was hard on both boys, dealing with the loss of their friend, but they coped in their own ways. Al threw himself into becoming reacquainted with his body and life itself. Ed distracted himself in any way possible but settled for the most part in watching Al light up with each renewed discovery. How he could feel his brother's touch. How the warmth of the sun felt on his skin. How the taste of new foods made him hum in pleasure. How he could finally, at long last, sleep, albeit the sleep patterns were unusual due to his many years of sleep deprivation. But Al just _relished_ every moment of it and never took a single moment for granted, lest he depreciate the value of Taylor's last gift to him.

Neither Ed nor Al talked about Taylor much and when they did it was with an air of sorrow. But they couldn't forget about the girl that had affected their lives so much either. After all, both of them were alive because of her. So along with that and their memories of her, they carried around solid objects to remember her. Al's was in the form of the kitty figurine she had given him and Ed's in the form of the necklace he had given her. He had found it on the floor of the ballroom and couldn't bear to leave it behind. Nowadays, he wore it constantly.

At the end of the month on the day Alphonse was scheduled to leave the hospital, Mason came by on behalf of Izumi. The woman had sent him with the belongings that they had left on their last visit at her house. They had had to leave so quickly at that time, due to the military chasing after Taylor, and had left their bags. One of the bags was Taylor's of course. Al had cried that day…

Ed didn't look into Taylor's bag until they had returned to Resembool. Al was still regaining his strength and the both of them needed a break from everything. That first night Al was sleeping peacefully for once while Ed couldn't shut off his mind. He eventually got up and found himself with her bag in his hands. He knew it would just hurt him more but he couldn't help but open it. The two items at the top that were the only things other than clothes in the bag were Taylor's sketchbook and flute. Ed smiled, remembering how dearly she had cherished them. He spent the rest of that night flipping through the sketchbook. The others found him the next morning asleep on the couch, clutching the book to his chest.

Nothing much happened the following month. Everyone was adjusting and trying to go back to normal. Al turned fifteen and was starting to look his age and healthy again. In the short amount of time he'd had his body back he had grown taller than Ed and, though still skinny, him and Ed were able to spare again to build his muscles back up. One particular day stayed in Edward's mind.

They were taking a breather from a sparring match, Ed not wanting Al to tire himself out too bad. Ed was laying down in the grass, staring up at the clouds, while Al was mussing with his waist length hair he had taken to tying up in a ponytail.

"It keeps getting in the way. It'll hinder me in a fight," Al explained, frowning at the auburn locks.

"We'll have to get Winry to cut it for you when she gets back from shopping then," Ed replied almost absently.

A few pregnant moments passed and Al began hesitantly, "Brother, can I ask you something?"

At the fear in his voice, Ed looked over at him in concern, "Yeah, you can ask me anything."

Al couldn't return his gaze as he asked haltingly, "Are you…angry? Do you hate me?"

Ed blinked in shock and snapped up into a sitting position, "Al, what would give you that idea?"

"Because I was there. Because I couldn't stop her. Because I stopped you from bringing her back. It's alright if you do but I just need to know." Tears welled up in his large expressive gray eyes. He tightened his fists and clenched his jaw in an effort not to cry. Ever since he had regained his body he had trouble controlling his emotions. He didn't mind the happy ones, even if he felt embarrassed at times for overreacting but Ed always seemed happy enough and smiled to see him enjoying himself. But whenever Al would get frustrated or sad he'd be fighting the stupid tears nearly every time.

"You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you," Ed said thoughtfully.

Al nodded with a sniffle.

Ed's eyes softened. He wrapped an arm around his brother's shoulder, "Al, I could never hate you. I think it's impossible for _anyone_ to hate you. You're kindness in a can."

"But you should hate me for it."

"…do you hate yourself for it?"

Al fiddled with bits of grass, frowning as he admitted, "Sometimes. I have nightmares about it. Sometimes they're of her asking me why I couldn't stop her…"

After a moment, Ed said, "I dream about her too. Of her waiting in the gate by herself…it's weird though cause whenever I see her in my dreams she's smiling." A wistful tone entered his words. How he longed to see that smile again. He shook his head to get back to the subject, "Al, you did everything you could…and you were right. I needed to be here with you. She sacrificed everything for us. The least we could do is honor her last wish. So no, I don't hate you, I don't blame you, and you shouldn't blame yourself either. It'd probably irritate her if she knew you did."

Al contemplated his words for a while. When Ed decided he was hungry and got up to go in Al asked him, "Do you blame yourself, Brother?"

Ed didn't answer. He walked away and into the house, leaving Al to fall back into the grass with a sigh.

* * *

><p>Towards the beginning of May, Edward had come to a decision.<p>

"I'm going to continue working as a State Alchemist."

"You can't be serious!" Winry gaped at him, pausing in her tweaking of Ed's automail arm. "After everything they put you through? You don't have to go back to them you know."

"I'm not doing this because it's required of me. I want to go back."

Winry eyed him curiously and ventured a guess, "Are you going to try to find a way to restore your limbs?"

Ed's brow creased, "No. Al's finally got his body back and that's all I ever wanted. I'm perfectly fine with my automail. Besides, it's come in handy in plenty of fights." Winry scowled at that and would have decked him with her wrench had he not smiled and said, "It saved my life more times than I can count and only because I have the best automail engineer in the world."

Winry gave a pleased laugh and resumed tinkering with his arm, "So if it's not that then why do you want to work for the military again?"

"I liked traveling and seeing places and helping people. Being home again in Resembool has been great but I want to get going again. Plus, I never did ever resign. I'm surprised that bastard colonel hasn't called to annoy me yet. But I guess he's too busy sorting out the mess in Central."

Both of them were lost in their own thoughts, thoughts that traveled down similar paths. From word of mouth both of them had heard the drastic changes in Central that were effecting the rest of the country. Rumor was that Bradley had turned traitor and that the bravery of Colonel Mustang had put an end to his evil deeds. Now they were working on weeding out the corrupted officers in the military while working on negotiating with Drachma for a peace treaty. The time of war and bloodshed had finally come to a close and all the citizens of Amestris were rejoicing.

"Does Al know about this?" Winry asked as she put away her tools.

Standing up and stretching, Ed answered, "I talked to him about it the other night."

"And it's decided that I need to go along with him, otherwise Brother will get into trouble."

Winry spun on her seat to see Al standing in the doorway of her workroom, wearing a teasing smile. Now that his hair was cut Al appeared older, more grown up. In fact, all three of them seemed to be growing up.

"Your faith in me is lacking," Ed scoffed while Al just continued to smile.

Winry looked back and forth between the two, "So when are you guys leaving?"

"Tomorrow."

* * *

><p>"I was wondering when you would come back," Mustang smirked as his office door was kicked open.<p>

"Just thought I'd drop by and make sure you weren't slacking on your paperwork."

"How thoughtful of you," he replied sarcastically. As the blonde flopped onto his favored couch, Mustang said, "I'm assuming you're here to resume working as a State Alchemist, correct?"

Edward narrowed his eyes, "How do you know I'm not here to hand in my resignation?"

"Because I know you too well," was the confident answer he was met with.

"Which is a scary thought indeed," Ed shook his head.

The two chatted for a while, catching up. Any who saw their exchange would be shocked to find how amiable they were being towards one another. There were a few jests here and there but they were received with an easy smile.

In the end Mustang pulled out a sheet of paper listing Ed's next mission. As Mustang handed it over to him, he smirked, "I thought that I'd start you out with a _small_ mission to get you back in the swing of things." As he waited for the expected explosion of rage he was startled to see that for the first time ever the Fullmetal Alchemist did not rant.

Instead, Ed smiled peacefully, "I'm only as small as the world will make me seem." Then he spun on his hill and exited the office, leaving behind a bewildered colonel.

"Everything taken care of?" Al asked as he stood from talking to Havoc at the man's desk.

Ed grinned, "Yep. Let's head out."

* * *

><p><strong>So, it's already been two months since Taylor's been gone and now Ed and Al are about to go on missions again. But this isn't the end yet my furry friends. As I said above I will be posting an epilogue tomorrow...probably late tomorrow since I've got other stuff to do and I haven't even wrote it yet. *sigh*<strong>

**So, I bet all of you are wondering how I'm going to end this happily. I assure you, this will end happily cause I just can't stand tragedies cause they make me cry! But it will all be explained in the epilogue. See you then!**


	56. Epilogue

**Guess what? I drew a picture of Taylor. You guys can go check it out on deviant art. :)**

**Okay, that's all I wanted to say. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue<strong>

**Maybe**

_May 17, 2011_

She exited the school building and stood at the top of the cement stairs leading down into the parking lot. Taking in a deep breath of the hot air, she let it back out with a happy sigh, "Summer vacation. _Finally_!" She was tempted to do a jig right there but there were crowds of students leaving the building, some heading home and some lingering in groups to chat with one another. They would think her really strange if she just busted a dance move…then again, she had no problem with that, so dance she did.

In the middle of her cabbage patch, she her a distinct _sniff, sniff_ right at her shoulder. She turned to see her friend there.

"Ragan!" she screeched in irritation and jumped back. "How many times have I told you not to sniff me?! I might not smell good!"

He grinned and shrugged, the words hitting him like water on oil. He stood there with a smile on his face, his dark brown eyes, the same color as his short well-brushed hair, twinkling with amusement. He was about an inch shorter than her and if her opinion was unbiased she'd say he was kinda cute but he had always been like a brother to her.

She glowered, "I swear, you must have been a dog in your past life."

Ignoring the comment, he asked, "So have you seen Amy anywhere?"

Now it was her turn to shrug, "Nope. But knowing her she's probably lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right time to strike."

"And why do you say that?"

"Cause you know, she's evil," she replied. That was when she realized the question had not come from Ragan but from elsewhere. She jumped back behind Ragan and hid behind her friend as Amy stood across from them with her arms crossed. Her expression was anything but amused, her eyes narrowing with a frosty blue intensity. She stood taller than the others and had a body that came with years of playing softball. Her long, light brown hair blew in a hot breeze, though it could be mistaken as the dark aura that surrounded her.

"Now, what were you saying LeFay?" Amy questioned

LeFay gulped and squeaked, "That you are the best person in the whole wide world?"

"Uh-huh," she rolled her eyes. She moved in quickly before LeFay could retreat and poked her in the side.

"Ow! You poked my kidney!"

"You'll live," Amy all but snorted.

Unfazed by any of this, Ragan spoke, "So, to celebrate the ending of our junior year you guys want to go out? We could go to Ruston and catch a movie."

"I'm in. And LeFay can pay for us," Amy grinned sneakily.

LeFay whispered to Ragan, "You see? _Eviiiil_."

Amy tried to poke LeFay again but she danced out of the way.

"So you're coming to, right?" Ragan looked to LeFay.

Giving Amy a wary glance, she answered, "Sorry. I can't today. I promised Miss A that I would come by this afternoon."

The others nodded understandably. LeFay had become much closer to the woman ever since…

"Tell her we said hi," Amy told LeFay.

"And don't eat up all her food, LeFay," Ragan smirked as he patted her stomach.

"Hey!" she yelled indignantly. "Just because I'm fluffy doesn't mean I'm a gluttonous pig!"

Amy glanced between her and Ragan with an amused twitch of her lips, "I think you made her angry. She's starting to use big words."

LeFay huffed, "Whatever." Then she threw her hands up and did a pose and sang, "_I'm fluffy and I know it!_"

Her friends laughed at her and they all went their separate ways. By this time most of the students had left, leaving the traffic thankfully sparse. LeFay found her truck easily. It was big and a navy blue. She couldn't describe any more than that cause didn't know enough about vehicles to save her life.

Inside the spacious cab she started the truck and put her favorite CD in. Soon, the musical styling's of Imogen Heap filled the space. LeFay hummed along as she found a clip to pull back her shoulder length, dark brown hair. She used the truck's mirror to help get her hair straight and as she looked into her slightly lighter brown eyes the smile on her face slipped away.

It had been four months since her best friend had disappeared and was presumed dead. Four long months since LeFay had been the care-free girl she had once been. That first month when she heard about what happened she had closed herself off from everyone, dealing with her grief alone. But she eventually had to come out of her cave(what she had labeled her room as) and live her life. She may not get out of the house as much, usually only for school, and she may not be as loud and whacky as she had once been but she was trying. _Really_ trying, and right now that was all she could do. She had known Taylor all of her life and they were what she termed as 'soul sisters'. It had hit her hard and she knew she would probably never be the same.

"If only she could see me now," LeFay laughed to herself. Taylor would be surprised by how serious she had become. It took Taylor dying to finally make her more serious.

Sighing, LeFay put the truck in reverse and exited the parking lot. It wouldn't do her any good sitting around on campus moping about things she couldn't change.

She was soon passing the city limits of Farmerville, thinking for once about how odd the town's name was. Did a bunch of farmers live here or something back when the town was being established? Did it start out as a joke and they just kept the name? Hm, she'd have to look that up later. Pretty sad that she had lived here for her 17 years of life and didn't know something like that.

On the outskirts of the town she found the correct house and pulled into the driveway. The house was quaint, yellow, and old, consisting of only one floor. The front yard had a shabby white fence near the road. Great big trees towered over the area full of rich green leaves. LeFay eyed the yard, looking for any of the house's occupants.

She found Joeli sitting on one of the couches on the front porch, texting up a storm. LeFay hopped out of her truck and approached her best friend's little sister.

"What's up muttonchop?" LeFay asked, a smile plastered on her face once more.

The fifteen-year-old looked up. It amazed LeFay once more how different Joeli and Taylor looked. Truthfully, they were half-sisters from their mom's side but still, they showed little resemblance. Where Taylor had been small, had pale freckled skin, and red-brown hair, Joeli was more sturdily built, was naturally tan, and had blonde hair. The girl really did take after her father.

"Nothing much," the younger girl replied, looking up from her cell phone. "I'm just waiting for Mom to get done cooking supper."

LeFay rolled her eyes, "It didn't occur to you to help her?" The look on Joeli's face said it all. LeFay snorted and shook her head with a grin, "Never mind. I'll go help her out then." She gave a wave and entered the house, "I'm home!"

LeFay heard a laugh and then a yell, "I'm in the kitchen!" She was about to go in there but she paused in the middle of the living room. A sheet of paper laying on the coffee table had caught her eye so she picked it up. What she saw made her do a fan girl squeal and run into the kitchen.

"Miss A! Where did you get this?! It's the coolest freaking transmutation circle I've ever seen!" Indeed, on the piece of paper she was waving around was a perfectly hand drawn intricate array.

Miss April stopped stirring the noodles she was preparing on the stove and stared wordlessly at what LeFay was holding. Her skin turned pale and it looked like she had seen a ghost.

"Miss A?" LeFay frowned, wondering what was wrong. Then it hit her. Something like this wouldn't have belonged to either of the house's current occupants. It had to have been something of Taylor's that she had lying around here. LeFay began rambling apologetically, causing Miss April to hold up a hand.

"It's alright. It's not what you think either," she said, taking the offered paper into her hands. She stared down at it, a wistful expression entering her features.

LeFay's forehead wrinkled in confusion, "What do you mean?"

Miss April sighed and turned off the burner. She gave LeFay a hard stare as she finally seemed to come to a decision, "I think I should tell you…besides, you're the only one who would probably believe me anyway. She did say you were obsessed with that show."

LeFay deliberated and came to a conclusion, "You mean FMA? And there's something you need to tell me? Um, I don't think I'm following."

The older woman sat down at the small kitchen table and patted the surface. LeFay took the hint and sat across from her, eyeing her suspiciously.

"There's something I've been keeping to myself for a long while. I think it would do me some good to talk about it, get it off my chest. Plus, I think you of all people deserve to know. You two were so close."

"So this does have something to do with Taylor," she concluded.

Miss April nodded, took a deep breath, and began, "You remember a couple months ago when I was gone for about a week?"

LeFay nodded her head slowly, wondering what she was getting at. She remembered how Joeli had called her out of the blue, asking if she had seen her mom. She hadn't but came over to her house and helped Joeli call everyone she knew but they came up empty. Joeli's grandma came over once she was called and they went to the sheriff's office. Naturally, the police assumed that Miss April had gone off on her own, still grieving for her missing daughter and would come back eventually. It pissed LeFay off that they hardly even searched for her, just made stupid assumptions. But then about a week later Miss April came back home, dazed for the longest time and not telling a soul about where she had been.

"That week…" Miss April said, a bit shakily, "…I found Taylor."

LeFay's eyes widened and they continued to grow larger as Miss April explained the entire story from start to finish. Her mouth was left gaping, opening and closing like a fish as she tried to form words. Nothing could have prepared her for that kind of explanation. She didn't even expect it!

"Holy shit!" LeFay uttered. The woman gave her a pointed look but let the swearing slide. LeFay sat there for a while, trying to comprehend everything.

"So, what do you think?" Miss April asked impatiently.

"Just…just give me a moment to process it."

"…do you think I'm crazy?" she asked, somewhat fearfully.

LeFay rubbed her face and leaned over in her chair, "I don't know what to think. I mean, I just found out my best friend is alive but in another _dimension _and not only that but that other dimension happens to be my favorite anime show! Holy cackerfunckle, this is not how I expected my summer vacation to start out."

This was a lot to take in for her. Sure, she may be an obsessed fan girl but even _she_ had a grip on reality. And she never completely believed that there could be another world out there where alchemy existed and the freaking Elric brothers were running along, doing their own thing, and actually _existing_! LeFay had dreams about going to Amestris but that was just it. _Dreams_. As in, _fantasy_ and _not real_! She thought that if she ever discovered that Amestris was in fact real she would be doing a happy dance and whooping with joy. Now, faced with such a predicament, she was shocked stupid. It was really hard to believe such a thing.

But that was the thing, she had to believe it. What kind of person, especially Miss April, would fabricate such an elaborate story? About her own missing daughter at that! No, Miss April wasn't the lying type, nor was she delusional. She wouldn't joke about something like this.

"So you really saw her? She's okay?" LeFay asked at last.

Miss April let out the breath she had been holding, relieved that she had been believed, "Yes, I saw her. But she was hurt so bad when she sent me back. I know that she said that stone in her heals her but I've still been so worried."

Again, LeFay was left spinning at such a fact as a Philosopher's Stone being held in Taylor's body. Whoa. Just whoa…mindblowing…

LeFay shook her head, trying not to flip out, "And this," she pointed at the piece of paper between them, "is the array that was tattooed on Taylor's body? How come you have this?"

"We were at Izumi's house, her and Edward and Alphonse were researching the arrays looking for a way to send us back home safely. They had a lot of these drawn out and I had one folded up in my pocket when Taylor sent me back. That's how I ended up with this. I've kept it to reassure myself that it wasn't all just some weird dream."

"Have you tried activating it?" LeFay asked, brightening up quickly.

She raised a brow, "Activating it?"

That was all LeFay needed. She grinned hugely, clapped her hands, and touched the array…and watched as absolutely nothing happened.

She scowled, "I should have known that it wouldn't be that easy." LeFay slumped back in her chair, crossing her arms as she thought more about this. She picked the sheet up and examined it closely but, not being an alchemist, didn't really know what to make of it. But she was determined nonetheless. "Maybe there's a way to activate it, some way we just don't know yet. If we can find out we can go there and find Taylor."

Miss April had become weighed down these past months but with the knowledge that she could possibly be reunited with her daughter she visibly livened up, "You really think that there's a way?"

"I'm not sure yet but it's possible. It has to be. After all, Taylor made it to Amestris. We can too." LeFay stood up, the piece of paper in her hand, "I'm gonna take this home with me so I can do some research on it, if that's okay with you. I'll call you if I find anything."

Miss April nodded, a genuine smile coming to her face, "Good luck."

* * *

><p><em>Maybe we'll be together…<em>

_._

_One day…_

_._

_But not now…_

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the end! …or is it? Of course not! SURPRISE! I've got a sequel all planned out just waiting to be written! So this is how it's all gonna end happily: in the next book. And I've kinda got an idea for one after that but I'm not sure if I'm gonna turn TBA into a trilogy or not. And for all of you freaking people that keep asking me when Ling's gonna show up he will…just in the sequel. ^_^ lol, gotta love the Ling fans. Anyway, the first chapter of the sequel will be out sometime in September. Don't know what I'm gonna call it yet but keep an eye out for it.<strong>

**MORE SURPRISES! So, AkibaraLatina has been kind enough to write a one-shot lemon for Ed/Taylor but it's not posted yet. I think she said she'd post it on Wednesday and I'll post at the bottom of my profile as soon as it's up. I think I might just add a whole new section to my profile that's strictly **_**News On TBA**_** so I can post things there that I want to tell you guys. Like how the interview is coming along…Taylor still hasn't gotten around to editing it. Sorry guys. I'll tell you as soon as it's done. And to those of you still wanting to see more of Taylor I should be posting another story starring her. It's mostly just for fun though and for my last contest winner. It's called, "Zombie Central". I'll try to post that soon. As for how Frog War will continue, I'll still be updating it for those who review TBA. I know I haven't updated it in awhile but I plan to finish it so bear with me!**

**One last thing. At the end of your reviews I'd like you guys to do something for me. Tell me your favorite part or chapter in TBA. My personal favorite was chapter 37 after Taylor had gotten her arms eaten off and she freaked out about it in front of Ed. So do you guys have a favorite chapter or certain scene you liked best? And I mean besides the kiss scene. :P**

* * *

><p><strong>AKNOWLEDGMENTS:<strong>

**Thank you especially to my favorite ginger, Taylor. TBA wouldn't have nearly been as good as it is without her. I can't count how many times she would listen to my ideas and help me work out the kinks or give me suggestions. TBA's Taylor just wouldn't have been Taylor without…well, Taylor!**

**A huge thank you to Nayru Elric. Without her I would have never started writing fan fiction. While reading her story **_**Different**_** it inspired me to write my own story and thus my life as a fan fiction writer began. I encourage you all to read it. ^_^**

**I can't stress enough how much I'm grateful to Rokuchuchu. He's been my editor for a lot of this and even when he wasn't editing for me he'd just talk things out with me and give me pointers. Not to mention the guy is insanely funny and awesome! I love you buddy! *glomps Roku***

**A special thank you to my little sister YourSecretStalker. This gal and me have spent countless hours on the phone talking about TBA and has helped me bunches. I love you little sis!**

**And thank you to Ragan who would probably maim me if I didn't mention him as well. That little sadist has surprisingly been very inspirational. XD**

**And thank you Fullmetalkitty for naming Fate. Without you Fate would be nameless.**

**Lastly, thank you to all of the readers and reviewers! You guys have no idea how inspired and loved you've made me feel. Especially the ones who've drawn fan art or wrote one-shots for Taylor. Hm, that would be a great challenge… Okay, so this won't be a contest but more of a challenge. How well do you think you can write an FMA one-shot with Taylor? I'd love to see how you guys would do that.**

**Okay, I've talked enough. Farewell my furry friends! It's been a great ride and I look forward to continuing this in September!**


	57. SEQUEL

**I know a lot of people are hyped up for the sequel so I decided to spare you guys the agony and tell you when I'm posting it. The sequel will be called "Reprieve" and I will be posting the first chapter on SEPTEMBER 8****th****. It hasn't even been a whole month yet since I completed TBA, man I'm too nice. Anyway, I'll see you guys in a week!**


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